


When The World Ends

by Fool_Arcana



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Akechi Goro Attends Shujin Academy, Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, Anal Sex, Apocalypse, Blood and Violence, Graphic Violence, M/M, Morgana doesnt talk, No Persona 5: The Royal Spoilers, Oral Sex, Rough Sex, Slow Burn, Zombie Apocalypse, like super slow burn, smut in later chapters, this is definitely a rewrite of a work i did like a year ago oof
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-01
Updated: 2021-01-23
Packaged: 2021-03-03 01:21:51
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 27
Words: 68,732
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24486586
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fool_Arcana/pseuds/Fool_Arcana
Summary: Shujin Academy had been a regular high school until Akira Kurusu came along, dragging their name through the mud with a criminal record and a bad attitude. He intended on laying low, letting his teenage years pass without a bump in the road. Then, it all went to hell. People started eating each other around the school and Akira had to figure something out. He was alone, he was new, and nobody wanted to be associated with a criminal. It was supposed to be a normal day. He got to meet the cute Vice President of the Student Council, got to meet some blonde guy who wanted to be his friend. Akira's goal of normalcy went out the window... along with some zombies he had to shove away. The world was crashing down on him again and he had no idea how he was going to make it out.
Relationships: Akechi Goro/Amamiya Ren, Akechi Goro/Kurusu Akira, Akechi Goro/Persona 5 Protagonist
Comments: 60
Kudos: 212





	1. The Transfer

**Author's Note:**

> I haven't been doing anything with this lately, but I've been struck with inspiration for a zombie apocalypse fan fiction and the one I had before lowkey sucked. I'll do better this time I swear.

Shibuya was nothing like Inaba. Akira spent his whole life in a small middle-of-nowhere town and now he was standing in one of the busiest intersections in the _world._ He couldn't pretend like he wasn't excited. He stopped to watch a guitarist outside the station, receiving a smile from the man before he went back underground. He maneuvered between the crowds, offering apologies on his way to the train. His first day at Shujin Academy! Akira would be lying if he said he was excited. He managed to find a seat, placing his bag on his lap and turning his head to the window. He spotted some girls in a Shujin uniform, whispering to each other and giggling. 

The woman next to Akira coughed, shoving his face into a napkin. He side-eyed her, inching closer to the end of the seat. There was never this many people in Inaba and everything was within walking distance. Sick people stayed home. Jeez, was she hacking up a lung or something? The second the train doors opened, Akira got out of there. He had a strong immune system, but he still hated being around sick people. Akira put his bag on his shoulders, following the crowd of students towards the school. He stopped at one of the vending machines outside, eavesdropping on the two students chatting.

_"Is that the transfer student? Doesn't he have a criminal record?"_

What? How did they know about that? Akira glanced back at them, ripping open his cake with his teeth. They didn't notice him staring, so he slipped away. He didn't want to be late on his first day. He wouldn't have cared much about his attendance, but his freedom was on the line. He was on thin ice. Principal Kobayakawa told him that one wrong move was expulsion and expulsion meant juvie. Akira did not want to go away for assault. He was told by his homeroom teacher, Kawakami, to go to the student council room on the third floor before class. It was crazy that they had three floors in the school and two buildings. That was crazy. 

"Excuse me--" Oh. The person just ignored him. Akira rolled his eyes, letting out a sigh and clutching his bag. Nobody wants to associate with a criminal. It was a social death sentence. Akira looked around the hallway, spotting the staircase on the left side. Okay, good. Akira avoided bumping into anyone, spotting his classroom next to the stairs on the second floor. There was a blonde girl with pigtails standing outside the room talking on her phone. She was beautiful. Akira caught her bright blue eyes and he offered her a polite smile. She smiled back, returning to her conversation quickly afterward. 

Akira saw the sign for the student council room right when he reached the top of the staircase. He could still hear the whispers about him, the snide remarks, and conspiracies about what he had in his bag. Alright, so far so good. He knocked on the door before entering. He didn't want to interrupt anyone inside. Shujin was already so different from Yasogami. He kind of missed it. He knew everyone. Everyone knew him. Everyone knew what he had done, who he was, and every personal detail of his life. Maybe he didn't miss it that much. Akira slid open the door, looking down at the two students at the table. Holy fuck. Whoever that boy was, he would be Akira's. His heart stopped in his chest and his mouth went dry. He thought the girl in the hallway was beautiful? The comparison was... there wasn't one. The boy had long, light brown hair and reddish-brown eyes. They looked at him with indifference, annoyance, like he was looking down at Akira. The boy wore a tan peacoat and black gloves. They looked leather. 

"You must be the transfer student," the girl said after a moment, "I'm Makoto Niijima, the president of the student council, and this is Goro Akechi, my vice president. Please have a seat." 

She spoke with authority. Akira sat down across from the two, training his eyes on the vice president. Goro Akechi. What a nice name. The vice president kept eye contact. "The students are concerned about the contents of your bag, so we have to go through it to quell the rumors." His voice was nice. It was smooth and precise, but there was something else. Goro Akechi didn't think Akira was worth his time. He had an ego. Akira could tell. Akira unzipped his bag and slid it across the table. "Thank you for your cooperation. We do apologize about the rumors, we have no idea how your record was distributed to the student body."

"It's no biggie," Akira said, "People just love the thrill of danger."

Goro Akechi frowned, continuing to go through his bag. There were books in there, a phone charger, some headphones, and a few snacks that his caregiver offered him as lunch. Niijima cleared her throat, taking up her set of papers. "Anyway," she said, "Both Akechi-san and I will be available to you for information and advice. We are both third-years, but you may find us here preferably. Please do try to cause as little problems as you possibly can. Try not to mind the rumors either."

Akira nodded, accepting his bag back from Akechi. Niijima offered him a smile before standing up. "I have to get to class, Akechi-san can show you to yours if you do not know where it is." 

She left after that, leaving Akira alone with Vice President Goro Akechi. Alone in the student council room. Akira blinked a few times, shooing away the thoughts. Jesus, he just met this guy and he clearly doesn't like him. "Actually, could you walk me to class, Akechi-kun? I don't want to get lost on my first day." What a lie. Akechi's jaw tightened, but he forced a smile and stood up.

"Of course."

Akira walked behind him for the view, appreciating it for as long as he could. It should be illegal to be so cute. "So, how long have you lived in Shibuya?" 

Goro Akechi stopped at the base of the stairs, his polite face slipping. He fixed it immediately. Disgust was something Akira has seen a lot of lately. "I've lived here my whole life, actually," he smiled, "I hope you enjoy your time here before going home. Have a great rest of your day."

He was really a horrible liar. Akechi was an open book. Akira entered the classroom, waiting for Kawakami to introduce him before taking a seat behind the blonde girl. She mumbled under her breath as he walked. Akira stopped for a second before sitting down. 

_"Do they know each other?"_

_"I wouldn't be surprised."_

Akira tried to pay attention and take notes. He could hear students coughing in the classroom. It got so bad that Kawakami paused her lecture. One student stumbled from her chair and into the hallway. What the fuck? Why is everyone getting sick? He looked at the blonde girl, seeing her shocked expression. Another student hacked up blood on the desk and Akira jumped to his feet. The blonde followed after, staring at the coughing students as they all began doing the same thing. She ran towards the door, peering over to the hunched over student in the hall.

She screamed. The girl stumbled back, falling on her ass. The sick student began stumbling towards her and Akira ran to the fallen blonde. He dragged her to her feet, watching the sick girl grab another girl nearby. Her teeth sunk into the girl's throat, blood spewing out of the wound while she screamed. The blonde girl started running, dragging Akira behind her by his sleeve. What the fuck just happened?! THe girl started going up the stairs, stopping for a minute to look down the hallway. "Ryuji!" She yelled, waving over another blonde student. What's with all the blonde students? 

"Holy crap, Ann," he panted, "What the hell's goin' on?"

"Like I know! The roof should be empty. It's safe there." Ann looked over at Akira. "This is Ryuji, Ryuji this is Akira. I'm Ann, if you haven't caught that."

"We can introduce ourselves later." Ryuji was the first up the stairs, followed by Ann quickly after. Akira followed them. It was unlocked with racks of volleyballs on the side of the door. Ryuji flung it down the stairs before they closed the door to the roof. Akira started pushing stuff in front of the door, sufficiently blocking off the only entrance... and exit. Great. 

"What the fuck was that?!" Ann yelled, "There is _no_ way that actually happened. She just started reaching for me and I pushed her, but... her eyes were all white and she just wasn't there anymore..."

There was another scream from the ground. The three students looked over the rails, seeing a sudden crowd of sick people munching down on one of the teachers. There were so many people on the subway, Akira couldn't imagine the chaos that was happening if it was happening everywhere. This wasn't some movie or video game or story or... "We need to find something to defend ourselves," he said. Akira grabbed an old metal baseball bat from the ground and a random old pipe. He tossed the pipe to Ryuji. 

"What am I supposed to use?" Ann asked, crossing her arms and glaring at Akira. He cringed, looking around him. 

"Um," he grabbed a broom and broke the bristle part off, "Here." Ann caught it, frowning at the sharp end and then at Akira. He offered a smile. Akira sat down on the ground, trying to ignore the screaming from below them. "You guys don't seem to mind knowing who I am."

"No offense, but you don't seem like a scary guy," Ryuji shrugged, "Seems like you're a big teddy bear." Akira rolled his eyes. He was in no way intimidating, but he almost felt insulted. Ann shrugged as well, holding her phone to her chest. 

"What happened?" She whispered, staring at the sky, "Why is this happening?" 

"I don't know," Akira said, "This is crazy." Another bloodcurdling scream. Akira tightened his grip on the bat, holding it close to him. His heart was pounding in his chest and it felt like it was going to explode. Were the people he knew in Inaba okay? His parents? His old friends? What about Goro Akechi? Was he okay downstairs or is he one of the sick. Akira pushed his curls from his eyes, gnawing at his lower lip until Ryuji started talking. He started talking about normal things. He complained about how tired he was, about the school, about how his leg was killing him lately. 

"Can it, Sakamoto," Ann mumbled. "Hopefully Shiho's okay in her new school... she left because of this shitbag teacher that used to work here."

"Who?"

"Kamoshida." Ann's voice was low, full of unmoving rage. "He abused all the kids on the volleyball team, tried to mess around with me and... when I didn't, he... moved on to Shiho."

"It ain't your fault, Ann," Ryuji frowned, "I know you still blame yourself, but you couldn't let him eff around with you. He's in prison now."

Ann kept her bright eyes trained on the ground. She held her phone firmly to her heart, taking a deep breath. Akira glanced between the two of them. Who the hell was Kamoshida? Akira heard another scream. He couldn't just listen to people begging for help and not _do_ anything. Ryuji had a grim expression on his face. "So," Akira said, "That vice president guy for the student council's pretty cute."

Ryuji recoiled. _"Akechi?_ Dude. Gross. Do you have no taste?" Akira tilted his head. "You're being serious? God. Akechi is the biggest douche in the country. He's got this massive ass ego and he thinks he's better than everyone who isn't a straight-A student. It's bullshit. Mr. Perfect's a bitch."

"I could tell," Akira shrugged, "He's cute as hell and the glare he was hiding the whole time he looked at me was hot. Ass isn't so bad either."

Ryuji gagged. "Disgusting. Anyone but Akechi. Literally _anyone."_

Ann rolled her eyes at him. "Let the guy like who he likes. Everyone's got a crush on Akechi anyway. Besides, Akira over here has that record, so maybe he likes the danger. The danger is sexy." Akira felt his face burn, but he played along with a laugh. It was kinda nice to sit and talk to people. They could pretend like there wasn't chaos happening downstairs.

~ ~ ~

Goro slammed the creature's skull between the door and the door frame, reeling it open and slamming it again and again. The skull finally gave out after splattering blood on Akechi's face and shirt. "Disgusting." He kicked the body away, locking the door of the student council room and falling against the chairs. Makoto was curled up in the corner, whispering comforts to herself like a prayer. Goro sighed, smearing the blood across his face with the back of his glove. "Are you just going to cry or are you going to actually do something useful?"

"Screw you, Goro!" Makoto screamed, "You're so irritating! Not everyone is used to seeing gore!" 

Goro rolled his eyes, leaning his head against his hand. "Don't be so loud. Hearing becomes acute when reduced to nothing but instincts. Their eyes are rolled back, I doubt they can see very well, if at all. People getting bitten are becoming one of them and they're chasing down the living. They've been reduced to hunger. If you stay calm-"

"Don't patronize me." Makoto had tears in her eyes. Goro didn't know how to react to that. He shut his mouth, bouncing his leg with his eyes on the door. If they were quiet, they would be fine, right? 


	2. Mercy or Murder

They were on the roof for almost an hour before Akira stood up. His legs hurt from sitting for so long. "We can't just stay here," he said, "We have to go out and try to meet up with other people." Ryuji nodded, not moving to stand. Akira could see the corpses walking around by the school gate, bumping into things like they couldn't see them. 

Akira started dismantling their barricade, quietly placing them on the ground next to the door and dragging the table slowly. "Is there anyone specific we should be looking for?" The two blondes shook their heads, neither of them having many friends anyway. He slowly pushed open the door, peering down the stairs. Ann held her weapon to her chest, trying to walk as quietly as she could with her clicky shoes. Akira led them downstairs, finding a load of the sick banging on the student council door. Was there someone inside? He saw a few bodies in the hallway, all with their heads blown off. There was no way someone had a gun, right? 

"Hey! Over here!" Ann hit her weapon against the rail, echoing their presence to the dead. "Try to see if anyone's alive in there, I'll distract them." 

"Hell no! Are you insane?!" Ryuji readied his pipe, standing next to Ann. There wasn't a lot of them, Akira counted seven, but they still had no idea what to do. "You can't just do this shit by yourself, Takamaki." Akira swung his bat at one of their heads, smashing it in and feeling the body drop on his shoes. What the hell? He stared at it for a moment, at the gray skin and rolled-back eyes, mouth covered in blood... It still looked human. It still looked like one of his classmates. He went after another one, hitting it right in the back of the head. Blood sprayed onto Ann and Ryuji. Akira looked down at his hands, then at the creatures coming towards them, then back at his hands. Okay. 

"Come on, fuckers," he mumbled. A smirk formed on his lips as he readied the bat once again. With all three of them attacking, they managed to kill them all relatively quickly. The noise attracted some more from down the hall, but Ann wasted no time knocking on the student council door. 

"Hello? Is anyone in there? We're some other survivors and we wanna help you!" She was loud, almost yelling, and her fist kept hitting at the door until it slid open. Goro Akechi stood there covered in red, glaring at Ann and then at the two boys. "Akechi-san? Are you okay?"

"Do you _have_ to be so loud? Stop standing out there making noise and come in." 

The three of them walked into the student council room, hearing Akechi lock the door. Niijima was in the corner with her knees to her chest and face buried in them. Was she okay? Akira sat down at the table, sitting across from Akechi like he had that morning. He looked hot with his hair tied back. Ann went over to Niijima, placing a hand on her shoulder and trying to calm her down. "Why am I not surprised you've grouped up with the other delinquents," Akechi said, "Where did you get the bat?"

"Where did you get the gun?" Akira saw it on his hip. Akechi smirked at him, placing it on the table. It had a silencer. 

"I'm a junior detective," he shrugged, "Don't worry, I'm no criminal like you."

Akira nodded, pursing his lips to hide a grin. Akechi was definitely acting differently from that morning. He was so fake. "We're not staying in Shujin. We need to leave school and find a way to get rid of these things."

Akechi glanced around the room, lingering on Makoto. "Takamaki, can you stay with Makoto and try to get her back to normal. Sakamoto, you can guard the door and keep the two safe. Kurusu and I are going to clear out the hallways and find a path to the doors. Got it?" Akechi glared into Akira's eyes, immediately masking the attitude with politeness. Oh, look who's back. Akira nodded, standing and grabbing his baseball bat from the ground. Akechi was armed with a gun, so he had an advantage over Akira in a battle situation. 

Akira stepped out first, hearing Akechi hush him as Ryuji locked the door. "They can hear us, but their eyesight is probably bad." Akira nodded, holding his baseball bat higher off the ground. "And _don't_ think that we're going to be friends after this. I'm simply using you for my own benefit. Prove yourself useful, criminal trash." Akira paused, looking over the pristine little vice president, detective prince, whatever else Akechi was to everyone else. He still held himself to the highest standard despite the blood on his clothes. Akira reached for him, using his sleeve to wipe the blood off of Akechi's soft face, grazing it with his knuckles. He stiffened up, jumping away from Akira like he had burned him. 

"You had blood on your face," Akira smiled, "I knew from the moment I met you that you were a fake. You're an angry, judgemental person and you can't fool me." Akechi continued to glare at him even after Akira started walking away. He moved quietly, smashing the head of one of the sick against a wall. Akechi kept a small distance, not wasting his bullets on things Akira could deal with himself. Akechi rubbed at his warm cheeks, trying to get them to stop being red. What the hell was wrong with Kurusu? That bastard was too smug for his own good and Akechi needed to knock him down a few pegs. 

Akechi looked at Kurusu's rat's nest of hair, watching him walk with horrific posture, and trailed his eyes down to his uniform. Akechi was permitted to wear his peacoat just in case he had detective work, but the dark Shujin blazer almost suited Kurusu. Akechi drew his eyes away, kicking out the knees of one of the sick before Kurusu smashed its head in. Akechi looked at the body for a moment, looking over at Kurusu's face to see his reaction. Nothing. Kurusu had no reaction to killing these zombies despite them being humans just a few hours ago. Maybe he would be useful.

"When we get outta here, we're gonna go to Leblanc. My cat's in the cafe and so is my caregiver and his daughter. I met them a few days ago and they're really sweet." Kurusu looked back at Akechi, offering him a smile. "Do you have anyone to look for?"

"Don't worry about my personal life." Of course Akechi had people! He had Makoto and Sae... but he didn't really have a family or friends or anything like that. It didn't matter. Kurusu didn't need to know that.

Akira frowned at Akechi. He didn't have anybody. It was understandable. Akira didn't have anyone back home, but he was glad that he met some people that didn't seem to care about his record, whether or not it was unfair. Akira swung the bat again, swiftly knocking down the last zombie in the hallway. "You know, we can make a deal," Akira said, "We can help each other out and maybe you can stop acting like some posh douchebag to everyone around you." Akechi shoved Akira back, grabbing him by the blazer and holding him against one of the walls. 

"You piss me off," he snapped, "I don't need your help. I don't need your opinion on me. You'd better keep your mouth shut if you want to keep it because no matter how useful you are, you're nothing but worthless criminal trash."

Akira smirked, leaning closer into Akechi's face. "Keep projecting, honey." He pulled Akechi off of him, walking back towards the student council room. Akira could barely keep his face from flushing. That was so hot. Akechi looking all pissed and worked up was sending bad signals and images through Akira's brain. Akira knocked on the door softly, waiting for Ryuji to open it. He gave the blonde a nod and peered inside to see Makoto standing on her feet, still talking to Ann. "We should be good on the third floor, so everyone be quiet and stick together."

"Hey, are you two okay?" Ann asked, "You look... irritated. Both of you." Makoto was quiet, but she had a small look of determination on her face. Ann got through to her. 

"We're good, no worries," Akira said, "Akechi's just falling in love with me." The young detective glared at him, glancing over to Makoto before sighing. Just let it go. Let it go for Makoto's sake. There was no way that Goro Akechi would fall for a delinquent like that. "Let's head downstairs, Akechi says they can't see us very well." 

The group walked quietly from the council room to the stairs. Akira was in the front, Ryuji in the back, and Akechi trailing directly behind Akira. Ann stuck with Makoto in the middle just in case any of them broke through the guys, she could still keep Makoto safe since she had no weapon. Akira peered around the corner once they got to the first floor and his heart stopped. There were so many... He held his finger to his lips, grabbing a volleyball from the ground by the staircase. Please work. The door was _right_ there. He handed the baseball bat to Akechi, throwing the volleyball hard against a far wall. The zombies lifted their heads up, bumping into each other to try and get to the sound. Once got so close that Akira could smell the metallic blood plastered around its mouth. He held his arm in front of Akechi instinctively when one started stumbling towards them. It didn't see them, but it was just getting too close. Akira held his breath. Please. Please. Please.

It knocked into another zombie, going off track and stumbling in the flow of the others towards the volleyball still bouncing in the hallway. Akira let his breath go, relief filling his trembling lungs. Akechi shoved his arm away, giving him the baseball bat and heading towards the front door on his own. Akira looked over at the student food concession thingy. He motioned for the group to move ahead and headed towards it. Ryuji looked back at him, raising a brow. Akira mouthed 'I'm fine, just wait outside' before slinking to the door around the corner. 

He held his breath as he shut the door. He sighed, trying to calm his nerves. Akira heard the groaning before it grabbed him. He did not make a sound, turning and shoving back the thing. Oh, it's the girl who ran this little concession stand. Akira saw the bite ripped out of her arm. She had tears streaming down her graying face, whispering something that Akira could not hear. She was still human? "Please." She came closer to Akira. "Please, kill me. I don't want to turn into one of those things. Please." Akira took a step back from her, eyes darting to the piles of food on the shelves behind her. She followed his gaze. "Take it. Take it all... just kill me." Her arm was bleeding very badly. Akira grabbed a rag under the counter. He shushed her, wrapping it around her arm and pushing her by the shoulders to sit on the ground. "What are you doing...? Kill me. I don't want to become one of those _things."_

"How long ago were you bitten?" It was cruel to deny her request, but Akira's heart couldn't take staring at her eyes like that. The desperation was all over her face. 

"Two minutes," she said, "I've been watching the clock outside." Akira nodded, If they had gotten there sooner, she could have been saved. "I was hiding in here, but one grabbed me from the cage and... I've seen the movies. Once you're bitten, there's nothing. I've been sweating... it's so hot. You're the new transfer student, right?" Akira nodded. "You're a lot nicer looking than people were saying... you don't look scary."

"Thank you," Akira said, "How are you feeling?"

"My vision is getting cloudy," she whispered. She started coughing, smothering her mouth into her crumpled up jacket to hide the sound. "I'm coughing up blood. That's what happened to the first turned, isn't it? This is it, huh." Her skin became grayer and her eyes started rolling back. "Kurusu-kun... please... kill me before I turn..."

Akira stood up, tightening his grip on the baseball bat. The girl offered him a small, genuine smile, shutting her eyes. Akira gulped, pursing his lips and raising the bat. She mouthed something at him before the bat came down onto her head. Her form knocked down from where she sat, but her skull was still intact. Was she just unconscious? He took a deep breath, lowering the bat onto her head again... until her blood splattered on the ceiling. "I'm sorry," he whispered. 


	3. Akechi's Place

Akira took her blazer, covering her face with it and turning to open his bag. He took out all the textbooks and began filling it with the sandwiches and snacks on the shelves. Akira had never killed someone before. This was so fucked. He spared her a solemn look, shutting the door behind him and running to the front door. The group was dealing with some zombies by the gate, so Akira readied his bat and ran over to help. They dealt with the zombies easily and it gave them a moment to breathe. "Yo, dude, where'd you go?"

"I got us food," he said, "There was a girl in there. She was bitten. She turned in five minutes, so I... when she turned, I..." Ryuji's smile fell and silence overtook the moment of victory.

"Well, no use dwelling on it," Akechi said, "She was as good as dead anyway. You did what you had to do."

"Yeah," Ann said, "At least she wasn't alone." Akira nodded, looking at the bloodied bat. There was a human person on it now. It didn't feel right with him.

They looked through the iron bars of the school gate, seeing a ton of zombies stumbling around the streets. "We should head to Yongen-Jaya," Akira said, "My caregiver runs a cafe there and I want to make sure they're safe." The group, except Akechi, voiced their agreement. Akechi was just being silent because he didn't like the team. Were the trains still running? Akira didn't want to walk all the way over there. "Does anyone have a car?"

"I can get one," Akechi spoke in a bored tone, somewhat hiding the fact that he wanted to blow Akira's brains out. Akira knew though. He was a vindictive little shit and he couldn't hide that from Akira. 

The teens climbed over the school gate with Ryuji and Akira boosting them up, trying to land as softly as they could. Akechi reluctantly helped Ryuji up first, who then helped to pull Akira up on the fence. Akechi's gloves were worn out. Akira held on to his for a fraction of a second longer and almost grazing his thumb over his palm. He refrained, jumping down next to Ann instead. Ryuji got down slowly, rubbing at his thigh and pretending like he wasn't bothered by it. Akechi noticed, of course, he was probably the most observant person in the group. Ryuji walked with a slight limp in his right leg, but it wasn't very noticeable. Akira was still a mystery to him, however. The criminal record they were sent made Akechi assume who he would be, but Akira didn't act like a criminal. He had something about him though. It made him mad. 

Akechi stood next to Akira in the front, keeping his posture and attitude as polite and pleasant as he could in front of everyone else. Akira kept glancing at him with some shitty smirk on his face as if he could see through Akechi's mask. And he could. Akira could see his face twitching when he was looking at someone he deemed beneath him. They walked quietly, trying to avoid been noticed by the zombies. Akira didn't expect this to happen. He expected to come to Shujin and live an honest student life. He didn't even expect to make friends quickly, but he did, and then zombies came. Honestly, he didn't know if he would have even met or talked to Ryuji and Ann. He probably would have--they both seemed like outcasts. Makoto was very much not the type to befriend them and Akechi? Not a single chance... but Akira was going to persist. 

"May we go to my apartment in Shibuya first?" Akechi asked, "I have some supplies there that could prove useful." 

"Lead the way."

~ ~ ~

Akechi lived in a luxury apartment in the Shibuya. The group walked through the empty hallways and took the elevator to the top floor. "Does being a junior detective suddenly pay well?" Akira asked, leaning against the massive mirror on the back wall of the elevator. 

"I'm paid well with my television appearances," he said, "I _am_ a celebrity, after all."

"I knew a celebrity once." Akira looked at the buttons. "She's five years older than I am, but we hung out whenever I saw her at her parents' store, but she was an idol when she was our age. Our parents were close. I actually knew the original detective prince too, you know."

"You did?" Ann gasped, "I heard the detective prince is actually a girl!"

Akira nodded, "She was friends with Rise, but I didn't know her that well." Akechi rolled his eyes. Why did Kurusu just happen to know everyone? Akechi couldn't get out of the elevator fast enough. It was smothering in there. His apartment was at the end of the hallway, with massive windows overlooking station square and perfectly organized furniture that looked straight out of an IKEA magazine. Ryuji, the heathen that he was, collapsed on the couch and threw his disgusting shoes on Akechi's clean glass coffee table.

"Do you not sit on this? It's hard as a rock!" Ryuji groaned, trying to adjust his back. Ann agreed the moment she sat down, but Akechi ignored them. "Got any soda in there?" Makoto sat down on the armchair that she knew Akechi loved to sit on to do work. It was worn in and soft, the only piece of furniture that Akechi actually used. 

"Feel free to make yourself some coffee while I'm getting things," Akechi said. Akira looked over at the coffee machine. It was normal for everyone, even him back in Inaba, but he spent a lot of time with the Sakuras before he had to start school since he arrived during a break. Sojiro taught him proper coffee making and the importance of the grounds and pairing it with the curry. Futaba was very insistent that Akira made it just right because it was from her mom. She really treated him like a brother and Sojiro was so kind to him and his cat. Hopefully, Morgana was okay in the cafe. Futaba wanted to stay with him for Akira's first day and then allow the cat to attend school when he made friends. That didn't work out that well apparently. 

Akira frowned at the ground coffee, scooping enough for five people into the filter. Akechi's refrigerator was almost empty except for some milk and eggs and a box of pancake mix on the stove. His cabinets had a bunch of travel thermoses and one ceramic mug. It was kind of sad. Akira started the machine and went over to where the group was. Akechi had come back shortly after with a few handguns and extra bullets. Ryuji jumped towards them before being held back by Ann.

"Dude these are effin' awesome!" Akechi didn't have any massive, heavy guns, but he was a teenager. It was a surprise that he was even allowed to have more than one. Why did he have so many silencers? "So, where're your parents?"

Akechi paused, blinking at the ground a few times before slipping his mask back on smoothly. "I've been living on my own for two years."

"Oh? Why?" Ann looked up at Akechi with big eyes.

"My... father didn't really stick around," Akechi said slowly, "My mother couldn't exactly handle the shame that came with bearing a child out of wedlock and so she offed herself and I was in foster care, but I eventually made something of myself here and I've been on my own ever since." His voice and his smile were pleasant, but the group stared at him with pity. As perceived by Akechi. His view of sympathy was almost nonexistent.

"I know I can't really relate with the whole dead mom thing," Ryuji said. Ann glared at him. "But my dad was a real shitty guy too, so I get ya on that. He was always beatin' on me and my mom, so I'm kinda wishin' he just left." Akechi didn't expect Ryuji to have any kind of similar experience as him, but he did, and it almost brought something close to comfort to Akechi. He wasn't alone with that?

"I was raised by nannies, so I luckily didn't have that kind of struggle," Ann said, "But I've been living alone since both of my parents are in Paris for fashion. It gets really lonely and I've only had this for a few months. Two years is such a long time to be alone and foster care isn't the best, so you must have been so lonely and sad for so long, but we're all here for you now. Even if we don't know each other very well."

What? Akechi looked over the group of sincere-looking faces. They didn't look malicious. It almost pissed him off. How could they look past all that? He was an unwanted bastard child who was tossed around by families who didn't want him around. Now they're offering their friendship to him with open arms despite his attitude towards this kind of people. He had been rude to Ryuji throughout the school years and side-eyed Ann like she was really like all the rumors. They were so kind to him, even though Ryuji had openly told him to 'go eff himself'. Why was he being so... normal?

"You have a nice place," Ann said, "We could probably stay in here for a little bit to refresh and make an actual plan." 

"I have snacks!" Akira dumped his bag out on the coffee table, revealing packages of cakes and chips and all of the like. The two blondes began digging in very quickly while Makoto politely took one of the strawberry cakes. 

"Thank you, Akira-kun," Makoto smiled. 

"We can all be on a first name, no honorific basis, y'know," Ryuji said through a mouthful of food. Ann smacked his arm and pointed to her own full mouth. He mumbled an apology. It was like a real lunch with friends and Akira could pretend, even if it was just for a few minutes, that the outside was silent. Nobody was outside. He looked outside the window, watching the zombies stumble around like ants at station square, with no signs of life. There must be a lot of people inside or else the streets would be flooded with the dead. It had only been a few hours, after all. Maybe things could return to normal. Maybe after a week, everything will blow over and Akira could go back to school and listen to the whispers about his criminal record. 

Akechi was lounging in his kitchen, pouring himself a cup of coffee. He drank it black, cringing at the disgusting bitter flavor, but he won't embarrass himself around his peers by pouring milk and sugar in the cup until it was white. Akira looked over to him, watching Akechi's cute face scrunch up. He walked over, opening the refrigerator. He took the milk out, taking the cup from Akechi's hand, much to the older boy's confusion, and poured some in the coffee. He found some sugar packets behind the box of pancake mix and started pouring it in. "What are you doing? I was drinking that!"

"You don't like black coffee."

"You don't know that!"

"Yeah, I do," Akira smirked, "Your face gave it all away."

Akechi glared at him, pouring the rest of the coffee in the sink. That hurt. Sojiro drilled it into his head that coffee should never be wasted and that there was always potential in every kind of roast. Akechi was kind of an asshole. "I'm going to need you to mind your business, Kurusu. I'm not a child you need to take care of. I am perfectly capable of handling myself." 

"I believe that." Akira kept the smug look on his face. "You are a great asset, I can tell, but you're still a person. Not a machine." 

How funny. Akechi frowned at him, not bothering to hide behind his mask. it wasn't like it mattered around Akira, since he always managed to see right through it. Akechi was always going to work as hard as he could with anything. Giving up was not in his blood, especially when it is driven by spite and built-up anger. Akechi built himself up from nothing into something that people wanted pictures and autographs with. They wanted to hear what he had to say, even if it didn't really matter to them. There was a comfort in the false security of the media. Akechi knew what to expect from them, but these teenagers that just accepted him for the unwanted child he was... that was uncharted territory for Akechi. And he wasn't ready for it. 

Honestly, he'd prefer the zombies outside.


	4. To Leblanc

Akira woke up in the middle of the night. Everyone was on one of Akechi's couches and Akechi took his bedroom. Akira offered to take the floor, but he wasn't planning on sleeping very well. He rubbed his eyes, blinking away the sleep as his eyes adjusted to the dark. The city lights were providing some kind of light to the room, but it was late. Akira got up slowly, carefully stepping over Ann to look out the window. There was still light. Power. Thank god. It would be beneficial to check some stores for supplies if things don't go back to normal. Hopefully, they will go back to normal. Everything would go back to normal soon and Akira could go back to school.

Akira wandered over to the hallway leading to Akechi's bedroom. The door was shut and Akira stared at it for a moment. There was a light on. Akechi definitely didn't want to talk to him. Akira knocked as softly as he could. He really didn't want to leave Akechi out of the group, but he distanced himself from Akira specifically. The door was opened slowly. Akechi stood there in some Featherman pajamas. His hair was disheveled and the circles under his eyes were way bigger than they were earlier. Akechi probably covered it with concealer. "Is anything the matter, Kurusu?"

"Uh--no," Akira blinked, "I was just awake and I saw the light on... I couldn't sleep and, y'know, I kinda need a buddy."

Akechi raised a brow at him. The delinquent stood there avoiding eye contact and shifting his weight like some shy first year. Akechi sighed, opening the door to allow him in and shutting it behind him. Akira looked around the room. It was barely lived in. A queen-size bed, white and blue sheets, and a few potted succulents displayed around the room. Akechi's desk was the messiest thing in the room, covered in papers and folders. Akechi laid back down in bed, crawling under the blankets. He looked so small. It was cute. Akira sat down on the other side, looking at the curtains to the city. "Do you think this'll all blow over soon?" 

"I don't know," Akechi said, "Nothing will be the same if it does go away. You killed your classmate. You'll be an even bigger criminal." He was right. People were dead. They were undead. Nothing would be the same if the zombies went away. The girl's blood was on Akira's hands. "It was your first murder...kill, I should say. It gets easier."

"You've killed people?"

Akechi shrugged, turning away from Akira. "It's not like I wanted to. I'm not some cold-blooded serial killer if that's what you think." Akira let out a small laugh. Since when did Akechi have jokes? "You don't seem like a violent criminal. Tell me, what really got you to Tokyo?"

Akira laid down, staring at the ceiling. Akechi adjusted to glance at him before turning back. "I stayed late at school to study. It was dark by the time I went home and it was a small town, so I walked. I heard some arguing nearby and I went to go check on it. There was a man fighting with a woman and she was calling for help. He was drunk. I tried to help her. I couldn't just stand by and do nothing when I knew she needed help. He tripped and fell, hit his head, and he pressed charges. She backed him up... said I hit him."

"It's truly an unjust world... justice and righteousness are a joke. People are always only concerned with themselves. Don't think that people are actually going to do the right thing because it's right. They do things to benefit themselves, whether or not it's right." The bitterness in Akechi's voice did not go unnoticed. He was a cop, so he must know the dirty deeds of his fellow men. Akechi acted like everyone was beneath him and Akira didn't even know him that well in the first place. It was just obvious. 

Akira woke up next to Akechi the next morning. He was wrapped up in the blanket, feeling the warmth of the other person radiating on his skin. Akechi's leg was resting over his own and Akira removed himself carefully. Akechi faced Akira, still asleep. He looked so soft, almost innocent, and Akira didn't want to move. It was a sight he could get used to. His crush was starting to become embarrassing. Akira looked at the small freckles on Akechi's face, concentrated on his nose for the most part. His hair fell around him, pushed back so it wasn't in his face as much as usual. Akira reached his hand out, stopping himself before making any contact. He frowned, pulling the blanket over Akechi's shoulder and slowly slipping out of the bed. Akechi would be mad if he woke up next to Akira.

He used the bathroom and dug through Akechi's cabinet for a spare toothbrush. Luckily, he managed to find a pack of five and brushed his teeth. Akira hated the feeling of unbrushed teeth. He tried patting down his hair, giving up after a few seconds. Akira's hair had always been untamable. 

Once everyone was awake, they gathered in the living room. Akechi had changed into some normal clothes, along with a backpack of more clothes and some ammo. "I think we should try to get to Leblanc," Akira said, "It's in the backstreets on Yongen-Jaya and it's where my caretaker and his daughter are. My cat too."

"Does nobody have any family in Shibuya?" Ann looked around the room.

"My mom's in the states," Ryuji said.

"My sister is in Kyoto." Makoto looked down at the carpet, a frown spreading across her face. "I hope she's doing okay."

Ann patted her shoulder, "I'm sure she's fine! We can go to Kyoto as soon as possible!" Ann's hair was down, for once, falling over her shoulders and back. It bounced when she spoke, and her smile was lighting up the gloomy room. She pulled it back when it brushed her face, tying it into a tight ponytail. "We should go soon, is everyone ready?"

"Before we go, try not to shoot," Akechi said, "It'll attract more of them and I'm not personally comfortable with the lack of experience, so only use it if you truly have to. In that event, hold it steady, aim as best as you can, and follow through." 

The group left the apartment, walking down the hallways sticking close together. It was completely silent, save for their footsteps, and it was eerie. They knew that there were zombies around, but where were they? Akira dragged the end of his bat against the carpet, trying to see if he was missing anything. Akechi led them to the stairs, slowly pushing the door open. It was a lot of loud metal echoes, most likely drawing some from down below. Where were all the tenants anyway? 

Akira could see zombies through the glass. The windows had been broken throughout the night and there was a zombie halfway inside the building. It groaned and struggled against the broken glass. Akechi shot it, the suppressor on his gun protecting them from drawing attention. He had amazing aim. It went straight through its head and it went limp without making a sound. The group exited the apartment building, finding the streets empty.

"Shouldn't there be people out here?" Makoto asked, "At least some of the sick, right?"

"I would assume." Ann held her gun to her chest, looking around the street. "Hey, isn't Central Street nearby? Should we look for supplies?"

It was light outside, but it was just so wrong. Typically, there would be an abundance of people, bumping into each other and talking on the phone, but it was just so quiet. Akira could hear himself think. Akechi didn't look like he minded. It was messy outside. Most of the car windows were broken, some with blood splatters all over the interior. Garbage cans were knocked over, making everything look dirty. The billboards turned on, displaying a pretty newswoman holding a piece of paper. The group stopped walking, looking up at the screen.

_"Due to the rising number of patients, local hospitals have run out of space inside. Certain buildings will be used as field offices for those seeking medical help. Such buildings will be marked with a large red cross. If you have any of the following symptoms, please seek help immediately. Coughing, vomiting, sore throat, sudden bleeding from your face including, but not limited to, the eyes, mouth, nose, and ears. Do not panic, the government will have this under control once more information is gathered. Stay inside. Help is on its way."_

The message repeated itself automatically. "Should we turn around?" Ryuji asked, "If they're sendin' help, shouldn't we barricade in Akechi's?" 

"No," Akechi said, "Nobody's coming. They're just going to wait it out until they're sure there aren't too many survivors left."

"There has to be more people, right? It can't just be us." Makoto walked over to one of the cars. It was smashed into a pole, folded around it with a body inside. There was a zombie in the passengers sear, trapped by the seatbelt, groaning and reaching for the brunette. She sighed, looking around the car. It was packed with suitcases. "It looks like they tried to leave."

Makoto jumped when the hiss of a bullet whizzed by her head. It splattered the zombie's brains all over the car. "Let's look through their supplies." Akechi reached inside, unlocking the doors and pulling open the backseat. 

"Jesus, you couldn't warn me? We aren't looters, Akechi." Makoto grabbed his arm, immediately getting shoved away. Why did he look like that...? The look was gone as soon as it appeared and Akechi grabbed one of the suitcases. He upzipped it, letting its contents spill out over the street. "It's just clothes."

"Like it isn't useful? Find something practical so we don't look like high school students?"Ann knelt down, picking throat some of the clothing and toiletries. "This shirt would work." Ann removed her jacket, unbuttoning her school shirt and letting it fall from her shoulders before slipping on a peach-colored t-shirt with a palm tree on the pocket. Ryuji had looked away. "This could fit you, Makoto!" She held out a dark blue t-shirt.

"I'm not very comfortable wearing other people's clothing."

Ann frowned, grabbing two pairs of jeans. "Well we can't function too well in skirts, now can we? Just try it! The boys can just look away."

"It ain't like we're on the street on anythin'," Ryuji rolled his eyes, "C'mon Akira, we can just look through the car with Akechi."

Ann and Makoto went behind one of the walls of a building. Ann handed Makoto the jeans and the shirt before removing her own shoes and skirt. Her red leggings were way too bright and the black jeans would definitely help them blend in when it got dark. It was unfair. The boys got to wear pants and she had to run around in a short skirt like some ecchi. She threw the skirt on the ground, jumping into the pants. They fit perfectly! Makoto was still staring at the shirt by the time Ann was done pulling the hood of her undershirt over the new t-shirt. "Hey, are you okay?"

"These belonged to that woman," she sighed, "It just feels wrong to steal her clothes." 

Ann patted her shoulder. "I get that," Ann said, "But she isn't around anymore. I know that sounds super messed up, but we have to help ourselves. We're still alive and we have to be practical. Jeans are thicker." Makoto nodded, removing her button-up and slipping the shirt on. It wasn't as baggy as Ann's shirt, but it was still comfortable. She peered around the corner before taking off her skirt and leggings. The boys were talking to each other while Akechi stood off to the side. The jeans were a little loose around Makoto's waist, but she took the belt from her skirt and put it through the loops. "You look great!"

Makoto blushed, rubbing her arm. "It feels weird."

"I'm sure it does, but it's gonna get better, Mako-chan." Ann offered her a sweet smile. "We're gonna get through this and maybe everything will go back to normal. We should head back though."

"Wait!" Makoto grabbed Ann's arm as she passed, glancing over to the boys to make sure they didn't hear. "When I grabbed Akechi's arm... I've never seen him glare at anyone like that. He looked so... empty inside. And the way he's just been killing z-zombies like they're nothing... isn't it a little strange to you? He isn't reacting normally and I've never seen this side of him. I've known him for eight years and I'm a little scared."

Ann pursed her lips, bright eyes darting over to the brunette. "He's definitely acting kinda weird, but maybe it's just his way of coping?"

"Ann, I've seen him at his worst, he has never had that look on his face before."

"I'm sure it's okay!" Ann patted Makoto's hair. "He's probably just used to it since he's a cop, right? Let's wait until there's something super worrying before we actually start worrying, okay?"

"Okay..."


	5. Central Street

"There wasn't anything useful in their suitcases," Akechi said, "Central Street shouldn't be too far away from where we are and we have to pass it to get to Sation Square."

Akechi left a mess on the street, leaving clothes sprawled over the ground and all ver the car. It was disrespectful. Makoto glanced at Ann, but she didn't say anything. "Maybe we can find some entertainment stuff," Akira said, "Like some music and books and cat food."

"I can't wait to meet your cat, dude!"

Akira walked close to Akechi, enjoying their silence while the others chatted ahead of them. Akechi wasn't outwardly glaring at him, which Akira saw as progress. Thinking about Akechi falling asleep so close to him made a blush rise to his face. Akira tried to hide it with his hair. Akechi's hair looks so soft and Akira just wants to run his fingers through it. Akechi packed some shampoo and conditioner before they left and Akira was almost looking forward to knowing what made him smell so good. He sounds so creepy, doesn't he? God, his face felt even warmer!

"Christ, Kurus, what's your problem right now?" Of course, Akechi would notice! He was so observant! Akira rubbed his cheek with his sleeve, looking at Akechi with the protection of his arm. "Can you stop acting so strangely, you're making me uncomfortable."

"Sorry." 

The street started getting messier and messier with more blood smeared across the walls and windows. It looked intentional. Akechi's hand moved to his holster, looking over to Akira when the others stopped walking. There was an RV parked on the side of the road, bloody on the outside, but the windows were intact. "Should we check it out?" Ryuji asked, "We could take it and make our trip faster."

Akira shrugged, approaching the RV casually. What if there was someone inside? He pulled on the door, nearly jumping when it opened. Akira stepped in, holding his gun out and glancing back at Akechi. The brunette jumped to the driver's seat, prying off a cover underneath the steering wheel with a knife that Akira didn't know he had. He couldn't be distracted. He continued down the RV, checking the bathroom and the bedroom. It was empty. He focused on the sounds just in case. What if there was something hiding? Akira frowned at the closet, slowly approaching with his gun out. 

There wasn't a zombie in there, he didn't think, but why would there be a pristine RV just laying around? Akira pulled the closet door open, swiping through the clothes for a second before releasing a breath. Empty. Akira grabbed one of the boxes on the floor. Pictures? It was a tall boy with dark purple hair and a firm look on his face. He was sitting on a stool next to an easel with perfect posture and some sort of traditional Japanese art on the easel. Akira found another photo of the same boy, but younger this time. He was much younger. There was writing on the back.

_Yusuke Kitagawa. I will always be proud of you._

That was sweet. Akira put it back in the box, pushing it back into the closet. He jumped when he felt the RV turn on. How? Akira rushed to his feet, finding Makoto in the driver's seat and the others chilling on the seats. "How did you get it to work?" He could see cut wires hanging on Makoto's lap. 

"It's not as hard as you think to hotwire vehicles," Akechi shrugged, "I think Central Street is only a fifteen-minute drive from where we are. Did you find anything useful?"

Akira shook his head, taking a seat next to Ann. Akechi rolled his eyes, leaning his head on his palm to stare out the window. Akira's voice carried through the RV, almost drowned out by Ryuji's. Even Makoto was happy with the group and Akechi was just... like normal. It was just a normal school field trip! Yeah, that made sense. Everyone was enjoying themselves with their friends and Akechi was just... on his own. The road was so empty. Why? There should be hundreds of them, but it's empty. Maybe people escaped and most of the traffic was leaving the city. It made the most sense and there was already evidence of people leaving. Akechi frowned even more. If everyone tried to leave, then that means the roads leaving Shibuya City are practically blocked off. To get to Yongen-Jaya, they would either have to walk through the subway or traverse the highways on foot. 

"What're you frownin' about?" Sakamoto's voice drew Akechi's eyes from the window. The blonde had moved seats next to him, taking up a lot of room with his legs and tilting his head at Akechi like a curious dog. Akechi blinked at him slowly, glaring into his brown eyes. They were lighter than Akechi thought, but it really didn't matter. 

"It shouldn't be empty out there," Akechi said, voice quiet, "People tried to escape, so they're probably all on the highway. Maybe they're just more spread out. It's unsettling to not see them after seeing how quickly Shujin was overrun."

"Just chillax," Sakamoto grinned, "Live in the moment and don't think about where the danger is. We'll see them when we get there, but right now? We're all good. Live in the moment, dude. Seriously." 

Akechi rolled his eyes, turning them towards Kurusu. He was already staring when Akechi made eye contact, immediately looking away. Why was he staring? Kurusu had left before Akechi woke up, but he was acting strange ever since. Akechi didn't really know what happened while he was asleep, but clearly Kurusu did. God, he hoped he didn't say anything embarrassing while he was asleep. "Is there anything else you needed?"

"Huh? Nah, I just wanted to check on you."

Akechi narrowed his eyes. That was definitely a lie. Sakamoto didn't look like he was being dishonest, but Akechi wasn't stupid. Nobody ever just _checks_ on him just because. Akechi returned back to the window. Watching the buildings pass until something caught his eye. What? Makoto drove by too fast, but Akechi swore he saw a message written in blood. Or something red, at least. Shit, could they turn around? Akechi focused more on the buildings they passed. Smashed windows, bloody cars... Why was the RV so pristine? It was like someone had just left it. Were they being followed? 

Makoto slammed on the brakes. The sheer force of the stop sent Akechi flying into Sakamoto before smashing onto the floor. 

Akira had grabbed Ann, keeping them both steady before checking on Akechi. He could faintly hear Ryuji call out to Makoto. Akechi groaned, rubbing the side of his head as he sat up. "You okay?"

"I'll be fine," Akechi said, "What was that?"

Akira didn't have an explanation. He looked over at the front of the RV, but before he could see anything, Makoto threw them into reverse and slammed her foot on the gas. Akira fell onto Akechi, cradling his head and digging his feet into the carpet to try and keep them from sliding. He could hear Ryuji swear. Akechi's hair was so soft. Akira could feel the older boy fist into his sweater. The sharp turn sent them into one of the couches. Akechi pulled away from him when they were stable, speeding in the opposite direction of Central Street.

"What the hell was that about?!" Ryuji yelled from where he braced himself on the counter.

"Look behind us, genius!" Makoto didn't look back, focusing on the road ahead. Akira walked over to the bedroom with the others, leaning over to the window. Zombies. Hundreds of them. They were clustered together on the road, following their RV slowly. Makoto was already losing them. They probably got caught in it while it was busy at the subway and Central Street. How are they gonna get to Central Street if it's crawling with zombies?! Ryuji mumbled a swear, leaning his back against the wall. 

"How did it come to this?" He whispered, "It was normal this morning... Mom... She must be so worried..." He sniffled, sliding down to the floor with his head in his hands. "What're we gonna do, guys?"

"We survive, Ryuji," Ann said, "We take care of each other and we help people who need it... Get supplies and always keep moving. Right?" She looked up at Akira, eyes almost pleading for comfort. Why were they looking to Akira? Akira wasn't anything special. Ann sat down next to Ryuji, letting him cry into her shoulder while rubbing his back soothingly. Akechi couldn't stand to look at it. He grumbled something about talking to Makoto before leaving the room. Akira sat down on the other side of Ryuji, rubbing his shoulder. He barely knew these people and they trusted him. They were friends.

"Everything's gone... What if there's nobody left?"

"There is!" Ann pulled Ryuji from her shoulder, holding his shoulders and beaming at his face. "Think about it, Ryuji, there are billions of people in the world and there are some more qualified than us to survive. if we survived, then why wouldn't other people? We're just a bunch of kids and we're doing great so far!"

"It's only been 2 days." Ryuji looked down at the floor. "We could get screwed."

"We made it out of the school with just our instinct, so..." Ann trailed off, waiting for someone to finish her sentence. No one did. She frowned, raising a brow at Akira. "We're only going to get stronger. Besides, you have us and we're always gonna be here for you."

"Thanks..." Ryuji rested his chin on his knee. "You think there's gonna be beef bowls at Central Street?"

The three of them laughed, sharing the same sentiment about real food. Akira must be the only one who knows how to cook besides Makoto. He offered to make some curry when they got to Yongen-Jaya. Somehow, it seemed relatively normal. "No, no!" Akira laughed, "Coffee and curry go _really_ well together! I swear!"

"There is no way that's possible," Ann argued, "Those are two vastly different things! Coffee is good with breakfast food!"

"Or not at all..." Ryuji grumbled, "I prefer soda."

Ann stuck her tongue out in disgust. "I hate carbonation. I can't believe you went from drinking _only_ water to soda."

"I was an athlete!" 

Akira looked out from the bedroom door. Akechi was on one of the couches. He excused himself from Ann and Ryuji to go talk to him. There was something about him that Akira wanted to know more about. He was insanely attractive, but there was something else. Akira sat next to him with a polite distance, fully facing the other boy. Akechi glanced at him with a raised brow, returning to the window he was staring out of. Damn. Akira thought that Akechi would stop ignoring him. He talked to Ryuji and Ryuji was way more vulgar than he was! Akechi was most likely friends with Makoto and he didn't have an obvious problem with Ann from what Akira could see. Why was it just him? 

"So-"

"We are not friends, Kurusu." Akechi didn't even look at him. Jeez. Tough crowd. 

Akira frowned, looking out the window as well. Where were they even going? "I was going to ask if Makoto told you where we were going." He really wasn't, but Akechi didn't need to know that. 

"She said we would have to loop around the city and find another way. It will probably take a few hours, honestly. Perhaps we'll pass something useful." 

The sun was hitting Akechi perfectly. It bounced off his hair and showed off the soft caramel strange that loosely flew away from the other perfectly placed strands. The red color in his eyes was way more prominent than it normally was and Akira couldn't stop staring. Akechi was so beautiful. He was so effortlessly perfect. The bags under his eyes emphasized the brightness of the red. He always wore his gloves and they must protect such soft hands. "Can you stop staring at me like that?" Akechi had such a comforting voice. The wrinkle in his brow and the sneer on his face just looked so perfect. He fully faced Akira. The sun shaded the other side of his face and added such a contrast. "Kurusu, seriously, you look like a lost deer."

Akira blinked, snapping back to reality. Oh. His face flushed. "Sorry, Akechi, I was just admiring your face." Come on, be flirty. He could do this. "You know, I really can't take my eyes off you."

"Must you joke with me like this?"

"I never said I was joking." Akechi froze. Akira could see the blush creeping up his neck from under his shirt. Did he turn red all over? "I am truly interested in you, Akechi, you could give me a shot."

Akechi matched the smirk on Akira's face, jerking forward to get into Akira's face. "Earn it." 

Akechi got even closer. Akira could feel his breath on his lips, but Akechi just stood up. He walked towards Makoto at the front of the Rv, leaving Akira's face burning. His confident facade completely shattered and the excitement rushed through his body. God, Akechi was perfect. He was playing along! He said to earn a shot! That means he has a shot, right?! Akira covered his mouth with his hands, hiding the grin. Jesus, he was freaking out like some schoolgirl, but it was _Akechi!_ Akechi hated him and he said he could have a chance with him! Akira took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves. 


	6. Goro Akechi Can't Interact

Akira had taken the passenger's seat next to Makoto, trying to spot some sort of stopping area. They were driving for almost thirty minutes and, honestly, he just wanted to find something to do. He wasn't very familiar with Tokyo and Makoto was the only one who knew how to drive. "We should find a place to camp out until tomorrow," Makoto said, "The hoard should move away from Central Street and I think it would be easier to just wait it out."

"Is there a woodsy area? I'd rather not be out in the open for people to see." 

Makoto nodded. "Sis and I used to go camping with Dad. It's a forest area." Makoto took a hard right, continuing on. "We can be there in fifteen."

Fifteen minutes was longer than Akira had hoped. Makoto drove on a bumpy dirt path into some thick forest with massive, shadowy trees. She drove deep into the woods and they couldn't see the main road anymore. Akira squinted at the setting sun, trying to see where Makoto was pulling off to. It was an even more overgrown road, well-hidden by the trees. No zombies either. 

"Nobody's ever here when it isn't summer break," she said, "There shouldn't be anyone except us."

She parked the RV behind a massive tree and clumps of bushes. There was a small clearing by the door where they could build a fire and the sound of birds was relieving. Central Street was going to be a necessary step before getting to Yongen-Jaya. The supplies there would be useful and, hopefully, there would be a decent amount left. Akira sighed, grabbing his school bag of snacks from the couch. It was kinda gross living off of vending machine cake and stuff. He didn't know how old it was, but it was food. Oh. Akira hadn't thought about his phone since this all started. Was there any service? He pulled the device from the bottom of the bag, finding his messages blown up by Futaba. It works? There were over a hundred messages.

_Hey, are you okay?_

_Akira_

_Akira_

_Akira_

_Akira_

_Are you alive_

_Sojiro and I are in Leblanc_

_Akira_

_Akira_

_The people here built a barrier_

_We're safe_

_Are you?_

_..._

_Please be okay_

Akira quickly typed out a reply explaining everything, feeling a weight off his chest knowing that they were okay. Futaba and Sojiro had been the closest thing he had to a family in weeks. He was thankful to spend time with them before he started school. None of his actual family had reached out to him. Not a single old classmate, his mother, father, grandmother. They looked at him with such disappointment before he was shipped off. Seeing his father hang his head in shame on the way home from the police station made Akira's chest hurt. Secrets were not kept in Inaba. Everybody talked to everybody. Rise was so tired of the rumors after her fame died down, she left as soon as she could. How was she doing? 

_Thank god. Get home soon._

Futaba was a little sister that Akira never had. "Your phone works?" Ann's voice came from behind. Akira nodded and the smile that lit up her face made him feel warm. Ann ran over to Ryuji, pulling her phone out and handing it over to him. He started beaming as well. Akira looked over to Akechi, who appeared unbothered by the joy erupting in the RV. Even Makoto went on her phone. Everyone was contacting a loved one, presumably, but not Akechi. Maybe his phone died? The brunette suddenly stood up and walked to the bedroom. Everyone was on the phone with someone. Did he feel left out?

Akira followed Akechi to the bedroom, closing the door behind him. The brunette had taken up a spot on the bed with his shoes off, staring at the ceiling light with a blank expression. "Why must you follow me everywhere I go?"

"Everyone's making a call, I wanted to check on you... since you weren't."

Akechi sighed, sounding completely annoyed. "I don't need you to take care of me, Kurusu," he said, "I can take care of myself, you know."

"You're seventeen and you live alone, you haven't called anyone, you act like you're better than everyone," Akira counted on his fingers, "You refuse help, you think friendship is a waste of time... I think you need me to take care of you."

Akechi's face turned red and he sat up, glaring right into Akira's soul. "You don't know anything about me."

Akira sat down on the side of the bed, smiling over at Akechi. "Well, I'll share with you," he said, "I don't know you, you're right, but I would like to. I know you don't trust me, or any of us, for that matter. Anything you want to know, ask me. I want you to test me."

"It's not going to happen, Kurusu." Akechi's blank face didn't hide a single emotion. He was mad. Pissed, even. "I know you have a weird little crush on me, but give up. I don't like you, I never will. Not as a friend and _definitely_ not romantically. I don't like criminal trash taking up space next to me, especially if said criminal trash won't stop leaving me alone!"

Okay... Ouch. Akira's face fell. He nodded, tearing his eyes away from Akechi's before they could start getting watery. He focused on his lap, trying to keep his face stable before he started crying. Criminal trash? Akechi had said it before, but Akira didn't think he actually _meant_ it. "Okay," Akira almost whispered, "I'll leave you alone. But I'm here if you ever need anything." Akira stood up to leave. His legs felt weighed down and holding his face together was becoming increasingly harder. That damn politician just had to ruin his life, his family, his chances... Honestly, Akira's future before the zombies was fucked. Nobody would want a criminal working for them or attending their school. He mumbled that he was collecting firewood as he passed the others.

Shutting the RV door behind him and officially being out of sight from everyone was relieving. Akira forced himself to walk into the brush, wandering into the woods deep enough to not be heard or seen. Firewood... The fireplace at his house in Inaba was always so comforting around wintertime. It was Akira's job to collect firewood when he was younger. He would go with some neighborhood kids into the woods to find the biggest sticks they could. It was fun. He sat against a tree, pulling his knees to his chest. Honestly, Akechi rejecting him wasn't that bad. He still liked him. He still wanted to have a chance. He didn't have to be so harsh. Akira stared at the tree in front of him, every blink getting more and more blurry until he felt the cool wet tear slip down his face. Oh. Akira hasn't cried in a long time. He was a ball of stress ever since he came to Tokyo. Any wrong move could send him to a box until he was eighteen. He usually didn't let the criminal comments get to him, but... everyone? 

Sojiro reminded him not to cause trouble any chance he got, but he never made Akira feel like a real criminal. He was so tired of being tough. Ryuji cried about his mom earlier that day and it really seemed like he wasn't alone. Makoto had her moment of weakness at the very start and she's been determined since then. Akira? He can't be that. They have essentially made him the leader of their group... God knows why... Akira had to be strong. He had to show them that he was capable and strong. Akechi was the same way and he could tell. Akechi lashed out at people who cared about him because... Akira didn't know why. He just knew that it was what Akechi was doing. He probably didn't mean to lash out at Akira like that, but it still hurt.

Akira rubbed his face, taking a deep breath. He would give Akechi space. He would give him time to warm up to the group and be more open on his own terms. He had to trust them at some point, right? Akira choked on the breath, letting out the smallest sob. After everything, he wouldn't take it back. He would have done the same thing to that pervert and he would do it time and time again. He sniffled, wiping his face on his sleeve and standing up. Okay, okay. He was fine. He was cool. Firewood. He needed to get firewood. 

Goro stared at the ceiling. Was he too harsh? Kurusu probably didn't have bad intentions, but he was just so _damn persistent._ Goro was in the right, right? It wasn't something out of the ordinary for him to say, albeit a little more aggressive than usual. Goro was more of a passive-aggressive, polite person. But goddamn, did Kurusu have to look like a kicked puppy? Goro sighed. Maybe he should apologize? He went into the main area, spotting the two blondes and Makoto sitting on the couch chatting. Kurus was nowhere in sight. Did he leave?

"Um, where's Kurusu?" Goro didn't like how their eyes all focused on him. He hated being in the spotlight, but it was something he was used to. Did they hear what he said?

"I think he went to get some firewood," Takamaki said, "He was really quiet about it though. He was probably sick of being stuck in here."

Goro nodded, looking out of one of the windows. It was getting dark. It isn't safe to be out at night by himself. Was he even armed? "Dude, you look like your husband left for war," Ryuji commented, "Are you good?"

"Me?" Goro pointed to himself. "I'm fine. Kurusu just shouldn't be out so late. I'll go wait for him outside." Goro grabbed his cellphone from the couch, exiting the RV with haste. Kurusu was definitely hurt. Ugh, why did Goro even care? He'd normally just let the person he insulted wallow in it because they deserved it, but Kurusu was... different. He wasn't being insincere or fake and he was... genuinely offering his company. The night in his apartment, Kurusu was almost easy to talk to. Fuck, why did he have to ruin everything? Goro leaned against the RV, holding his flashlight out towards the trees. 

It got so dark so fast. Goro sighed. Should he look for him? Did Kurusu go too far? Goro heard the rustling of leaves, squinting into the darkness. "Kurusu?"

The disheveled boy emerged holding an armful of branches. His eyes were puffy and red and his nose was pink. Had he been crying? Goro's chest tightened. "What're you doing out here?" 

Goro took a second to reply. He opened his mouth, scrambling to find his words. Holy shit, did he actually make Kurusu cry? "I... I was waiting for you," he said, "It's dark. You should come inside."

"Okay, uh, thanks for the light... I almost got lost without it." 

Goro got the door for him, eyebrows furrowed the entire time. His tone was off. It was more professional and less... infuriating. Since meeting Kurusu, he had only talked to him in a smug, flirtatious way, but now it was like he was talking to a coworker. Kurus set the firewood on the counter. Goro locked the RV door behind him. It was unsafe to just leave it unlocked while they slept. "Sleeping arrangements," Kurusu announced, "There's one bed and five of us, who gets what?"

"Us girls should get the bed!" Takamaki grinned, "It's only fair since there's only two of us."

"Okay... Couch?" Kurusu spoke like he was the leader. Honestly, it wouldn't surprise Goro if he was the leader. Takamaki and Sakamoto were way too... dumb would be rude, but they were too dumb to lead a group of survivors. 

"Dibs!" Sakamoto yelled, "You and Akechi can take the floor."

"I'll check the closet for extra blankets," Makoto said, "Maybe pillows too."

Great. Goro got to take the floor with Kurusu. It wouldn't be the first time they shared a sleeping area, but it was even worse knowing that he made Kurusu cry. Holy _fuck_ why was he such a horrible person?! Goro frowned, leaning against the sink and watching everyone scramble for clothes and bathroom privileges. Goro could use a shower. Makoto emerged with three blankets and three pillows. There was one king-size pillow and two throw pillows. Sakamoto got a throw pillow since he got the couch. Kurusu made them a makeshift bed on the floor, giving Goro most of the big pillow and the softer blanket. 

Goro opened his bag, finding the clothes he packed and removed his necktie. "I'll shower first." He took one of the RV's towels from the small closet in the bathroom. It was incredibly stocked. They were lucky to find it. Goro moved his clothes, throwing them on the floor and hiding his underwear with his shirt. There was no laundry basket, but there was a washer and dryer under the towels. Jesus Christ, this was a nice ass RV. Someone definitely lived in it before they found it. They shouldn't have left it abandoned then. Goro looked at himself in the mirror. It was so easy to see why Kurusu was attracted to him and he didn't even get to see how great he looked underneath. Lean, defined, and a great ass. Akechi smirked at himself, fluffing his hair out while he waited for the water to heat up.

It was so relaxing to stand under the hot water. He used the available shampoo and conditioner, inhaling the sweet aroma of it. He finally felt so clean. His clothes had been covered in dry blood and other questionable zombie fluids. He had never felt more disgusting. Goro sighed, finishing up with rinsing off the suds from his body. It wouldn't be nice to take all the hot water. 

Goro settled on his side of the floor furthest from the couch. Kurusu was the last out of the shower and his hair looked... massive. It was all fluffy and tangled from what Goro could assume was him fucking it up with a towel. Kurusu was in his underwear, shirtless. Fuck. _Why_ was he so hot? Goro stared at his abs, almost drooling. Why was he staring at the man he _just_ told that he'd never be interested in? Great. Just fucking great. Goro just _had_ to fuck it all up. He could just apologize. Sakamoto was passed the fuck out. Kurusu switched off the light, wrapping himself in the blanket they shared. The makeshift bed used the other blanket to add some softness to the floor. 

Goro waited a few moments, listening to Sakamoto snore. "Kurusu?" He whispered, blinking into the darkness. "Are you asleep?"

"No." He sounded muffled under the blanket. Okay, good. Goro took a deep breath. Okay. Just two syllables. One word.

"Um... I'm..." Okay, he can do this. "I'm sorry... about earlier... It was really unnecessary and... I didn't mean what I said. I was just really surprised that you were being nice and I'm not really good at being social and--"

Akira shushed him. "I forgive you. Sleep." 

Goro sighed, shutting his eyes. At least he forgave him... Why did he still feel bad?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like this was really dialogue heavy? Sowwy


	7. The Artist Part 1

Akira woke up to the sun glaring into his face from the windshield. Akechi had somehow managed to wrap an arm around Akira's waist in his sleep. He was such a cuddler. Akira took a deep breath, feeling his stomach rumble. God, he was hungry. He reached his free arm up to the couch, smacking Ryuji in the face until he heard him mumble at him to stop. "Be quiet," Akira whispered, "I'm hungry."

Ryuji peered over the edge of the couch, raising a brow at Akechi. "We got snacks in your bag, dude, you don't gotta wake me up."

"But I want real food." Akira was tired of the cakes and bread. "Can't we find a grocery store? Get something to cook? There's literally a stove."

Akechi groaned, pulling himself closer to Akira. He tensed, praying that he didn't wake up the older boy. Ryuji stared at him. "We can check before we drive over to Central Street... are you not bothered by this?" Akira shook his head. It wasn't the first time, but Akechi was most likely unaware of it. Hopefully. "Right, you must be... happy, uh, I'm gonna go back to sleep. You should too."

"But I can't sleep."

"Wake your boyfriend up." Ryuji rolled over, ignoring Akira's desperate hits. Akira sighed, glaring back at the bright light. Damn. He blew air into Akechi's face, adding a light nudge when he didn't stir. Akechi blinked, slowly opening his beautiful eyes before they widened and he jumped away. Damn. Akira expected it, but he was a bit disappointed. 

"I'm sorry," Akechi almost cried out, "I didn't realize..."

"No, it's okay! Don't worry about it!" Akira wanted to comfort Akechi, but the brunette was way too freaked out to do it right now. Akechi didn't look angry. Thank god. "Um, the sun woke me up and I'm starving for some real food."

"Well, there might be food on Central Street. I've been meaning to find some pancake mix." Akira remembered seeing a box of pancake mix on Akechi's counter. Why was he in such a good mood anyway? He was actually... talking to Akira and holding a conversation. It wasn't that Akira was complaining, but it was such a 180 from yesterday. He probably felt bad about it. 

"Do you like pancakes?" 

"Oh, yes," Akechi said, "They're my favorite and it's always something that makes me feel better." Akira couldn't tell if this was the fake polite Akechi or the hopeless wish for a genuine one. His voice was bright and cheerful but his face was still lacking. He had a small smile, but it just looked insincere. Akira nodded, stretching his arms over his head and yawning. Why did he have to get the side with the sun? "Did you sleep well, Kurusu?"

Why did he care? Akira raised a brow at him, dropping his arms. "Pretty good, what about you?"

"I slept well..." Akechi trailed off, looking off towards the bedroom, "Hopefully the horde has cleared up and we can actually get to Central Street. There should be some things that could provide some kind of entertainment so we don't have to quietly sit and wait." Akechi stood up, digging through his bag and pulling a hair tie out of one of the pockets. Akira watched him gather his hair and loosely tie it into a simple ponytail. Oh, he looked adorable. "Would you mind waking up Makoto?"

"Sure!" He watched Akechi disappear into the bathroom, slowly standing and feeling his legs pop. He stared down at Ryuji, grabbing his arm and violently shaking the blonde awake. He yelled so loud that Akira could swear he attracted the horde. Akechi didn't even jump from surprise. 

"Holy shit dude! You scared the eff outta me!" Akira just laughed at him, picking up his pillow and tossing it at him for good measure. "You're an ass, you know?"

Once Akira got everyone awake, Makoto and Ann stayed up front while they made their way back to Central Street. Akechi busied himself with folding the blankets and placing them on the counter. Akira could get used to seeing him in his pjs doing domestic things with his hair up. Ryuji reached over, tapping Akira under the jaw. "What?"

"Just seein' if your jaw's gonna collapse," Ryuji shrugged, "You gotta stop with the pining, man, it's makin' me mad uncomfortable seein' you lose your brain cells over this guy."

"Like you have any," Akira grinned, "C'mon, you'll share with me right~?"

Ryuji squinted at him, huffing and slumping back into the couch. He didn't understand why Akira was so interested in Akechi. Ryuji's known Akechi for years and he has always been a stuck-up prick to everyone who wasn't an honor student. Akira was the furthest thing from someone Akechi would give his attention to and he really didn't want Akira to get hurt.

It was a long drive back to Central Street and the horde had moved on. Akira hoped it didn’t go towards Yongen-Jaya. He stood between Ann and Makoto, looking at the empty street in front of them. Central Street was always bustling and full of people. It almost felt wrong that there was nobody there. The windows were a little cracked and a few were shattered, but it was otherwise intact. Akira spotted no traces of life. Or death. 

Makoto parked the RV in front of the CD rental place and the group piled out. "Should we split up?" Ann asked, "We can cover more ground and get more supplies that way."

"That would be helpful," Akechi said, "Kurusu and I can go to the 777 and you three can go and... find some useful supplies."

Akira raised a brow at Akechi, not having the chance to say anything before Akechi began striding towards the 777. He shrugged towards his friends, following after the ex-detective. Akechi tried pulling the door open, but it was locked. He grit his teeth, picking up a big rock. "Wait!" Akira grabbed his arm. "We don't wanna make too much noise. Let me open it." Akira dug through his pockets for the makeshift lockpick he made in class. He messed with the lock a little, taking his bottom lip into his teeth and focusing on it. He didn't want Akechi to think he looked lame. The door finally gave in and Akira held the door open for the older boy.

The small bell jingled their arrival. Akira closed the door behind them, listening to the silent convenience store. He got a part-time job there, but it was pretty short-lived. "So, uh, why'd you wanna go with me?" Akira used his phone for a flashlight, aiming it up at the lights. It was pretty intact. Maybe the lights still work? 

"Ah, I was wondering when you would ask," Akechi hummed, "I was unnecessarily harsh to you yesterday and it felt wrong to be cruel when I didn't see any insincerity on your part...so I thought that maybe I should give you the opportunity to prove yourself, I suppose. It's rather unfair that I write you off as a worthless criminal without knowing about it."

"So you had a change of heart?" Akira grabbed one of the shopping baskets, holding it for Akechi while he filled it with things he found. Akechi shrugged without saying anything, placing two boxes of pancake mix into the basket. "I'm thankful... I'm really not as bad as you think. I mean, unless you like bad boys." Akechi raised a brow at him, dumping some beans into the basket. 

"Bread, peanut butter, jelly... oh, Nutella..." Akechi was just taking the entire store, wasn't he? "Ah, we should take some over-the-counter medication just in case we need painkillers or antibiotics." 

Akira followed Akechi into the pharmaceutical aisle. General painkillers and things like that, some sexual items, and other things. Akira tried to be stealthy in grabbing some lube. You never know, right? He tucked it under the loaf of bread and tried to grab some other things. Vitamins? Sure. "Do you think we'll need anything else?" Akira looked over at Akechi, watching him stop and put a finger to his chin. "I mean we've got food and some stuff, I'm sure the others are gonna grab whatever food they find."

Akechi frowned, "Look, no offense to your friends, but the only bright one is Makoto."

"I..." Akira shouldn't agree, but Ann and Ryuji could get a little confused and distracted, but they weren't dumb. "They have their strengths!"

Akechi gave him a deadpan expression. Akira could see the 'point proven' smugness underneath it as well. Ann was kind and social, she could talk to anyone, and Ryuji was bold and always spoke his mind. Akechi shouldn't complain just because they didn't get the best grades. Well, based on how they acted, Akira could assume they weren't the best students. Akira had been an honor student in Inaba and he would have been one in Shujin if he had the chance, but that didn't matter anymore. Everything just didn't matter anymore. 

Akira carried the basket to the RV, finding the door wide open. Akira almost spoke before getting hushed by Akechi, who had already drawn his gun. He held his breath, watching the brunette step inside the RV. "If you want to live, you will put your hands up and turn around. Slowly." Damn, Akechi's cop voice was a lot hotter than what Akira thought it would sound like. He peeked around the corner of the door, spotting a purple-haired man standing by the sink. Wait, he looked familiar... "Are you armed?" The man shook his head. "Check him." What?

Akira placed the basket on the ground, approaching the man and lightly patting him down, being careful not to be too handy. The man didn't seem to mind either way. "Uh, he's clear... Akechi, shouldn't you put the gun down?"

"He could still be a threat."

"My name is Yusuke Kitagawa," the man put a hand to his chest, "I simply spotted this vehicle and I wondered if anyone was inside, but the door was open." Akechi sighed, rubbing his forehead without moving the gun. 

Akira stood up, extending his hand and smiling at Kitagawa. "My name's Akira! It's nice to meet you." Akechi gaped at him. Huh, what was his problem? "Ah, you look familiar... Wait! There was a picture of you as a kid in the closet!"

"W-What?" The man's eyes widened. "That's impossible, I've never seen this vehicle in my life!"

"It could've belonged to someone you know, I guess," Akira said, "We found it over by Aoyame-Itchome, near Shujin Academy. Do you live nearby?"

"Yes, I live with my sensei in his home."

"Uh, are we seriously just trusting this guy?"

Akechi spotted the others through the window. They were coming back. Akira looked back over to him. "I mean he's shady, but he seems nice. Oh! Everyone's coming back! Do you wanna meet them?" 

The man nodded, taking a seat on the couch with Akira. Akechi lowered his gun, keeping the tight grip despite that. He needed to be ready, just in case this _Yusuke Kitagawa_ was a danger. Ann was the last one to walk inside and Akechi could see Kitagawa's eyes widen. What? He jumped to his feet, approaching Ann. "You! You have such immense beauty! Please... let me paint you!" What? Ann blinked at him, eyes darting to Akira. "Ah, I am sorry. I'm an artist, I happened to stumble upon your vehicle while looking for some art supplies and curiosity got the better of me... Your friends, Kurusu-san and... Akechi-san found me. Please, allow me to paint you."

"Um... sure?" 

"Thank you very much! We must go to my sensei's home, we can provide you with some hot dinner if you wish, but my studio is there. I understand if you wish to drive there... it isn't very far out! Ah! My apologies, I did not introduce myself. I am Yusuke Kitagawa. And you all are...?"

"I'm Ann Takamaki, this is Makoto Niijima, and the blonde over there is Ryuji Sakamoto." Ann placed an armful of items on the counter, glancing over to Makoto. "Um, Makoto's our driver, so you should give her the directions." Kitagawa nodded, following Makoto to the front of the RV while the others sat on the couch. "Um, he seems nice."

"Yeah, maybe he can come with us!" Akira said, looking over to the other boys. They both had a frown. "Are you two okay?"

"I don't trust that guy," Ryuji huffed, "Obviously he's hittin' on Ann and he could be some pervert or somethin'... but hot food sounds really good..."

"Well you guys will be there so he won't do anything weird," Ann chirped, "Let's give him a chance."

Ryuji rolled his eyes, resting his chin on his knee. "Fine, but he's gotta prove himself. Who lives with their teacher anyway?"

Kitagawa led them to an old shack. It looked like it was about to fall apart at any second. Akechi grabbed Akira's arm before stepping out of the RV. "Are you sure about this?" 

"I'm a good judge of character, trust me." Why did Akechi have to distrust everyone? Sure, Kitagawa was a stranger, but he honestly seemed like a nice guy. Akechi sighed, letting go of Akira and following him towards the door. He shut the door gently behind them. Akira was almost amazed by how the structure was holding up. It looked like it was made of sheets of rusty metal and old wood. It most likely was. Yusuke invited everyone inside, pointing to the room closest to the door. It had a single easel, a bench, and a stool inside along with hundreds of different colored paints and brushes. 

"Yusuke? Who are these people?" Akira looked over to the door, finding an old man in humble looking clothes. He had a ponytail and a kind-looking smile on his face. Akechi raised an eyebrow at him, recognizing the artist. 

"Sensei! I found them at Central Street and I offered dinner to them in exchange for the opportunity to pain Takamaki-san," Kitagawa said, "This is my sensei, the great artist Madarame."

Akechi sighed--great. Just great.


	8. The Artist Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Goro centric

Goro was not unfamiliar with the name Madarame. Ichiriyusai Madarame, to be exact. The rumors of his horrific abuse to his students and the plagiarism of stealing their futures made his blood boil. Sure, they were never proven, but the testimonies of desperate kids and homeless adults who whispered to him on the streets was enough to make him believe it. It seemed that Sakamoto was the only one who had enough of a brain to believe that Yusuke Kitagawa was suspicious, but knowing that Madarame was his sensei convinced Goro otherwise. Kitagawa was most likely a victim of the same abuse and a witness to the things that happened before the outbreak. Kurusu may not listen to him about Madarame, so it seemed that Sakamoto was his only option. 

He sat on the bench beside Kurusu, pressed tightly against him with Makoto on the edge. He watched Ann pose, leaning back on her arms and smizing at Kitagawa, or whatever it was called that models do on American television. Madarame was in his office, according to Kitagawa, but Goro needed an excuse to look around and gather evidence. He wasn't a detective anymore, but the urge to prove himself right was almost too much for him to bear. He had to prove that Madarame was an abuser. If not for his own sanity, then for the ones he saw suffering on the streets. It was his duty. 

It felt like they sat there for hours before Kitagawa exclaimed that he couldn't do it. Goro peeked behind the canvas, almost crying out in agony when he saw that it was blank. "What?! We sat here for nothin'!" Sakamoto yelled, "Dude, c'mon!" Honestly, Goro couldn't agree more. What was worse is that it was Sakamoto that he agreed with. Kurusu only sighed, slumping against the wall. Why was he even going along with all these detours when his only goal from the beginning was getting home to his family? "Ugh, I'm gonna go walk around."

This was his chance! "I'll join you on that!" Goro jumped up, ignoring the curious look from Kurusu. Sakamoto grumbled, but he went along with it. As soon as the door shut behind them, Goro scoped out the hallway for any lingering ears. "Sakamoto," Goro whispered, "I need your assistance on something, but we can't talk here."

"Um, okay?" Sakamoto ran a hand through his hair, walking down the dated hallways with Akechi. The smell of food began wafting from the kitchen and the heathen followed it despite Goro's request. Madarame was standing by the stove, stirring a pot of what looked to be chili. Goro never had chili before. It smells pretty good. "Oh, hey," Sakamoto said, "Is this dinner? The sun's still out." It was on the brink of setting. Damn, why did the days pass so much faster? Had it already been three days since the infection? 

"I always believed it was good to have an early night for an early morning," Madarame smiled, "It helps to live a long, healthy life."

"Right," Goro drawled, "So, Madarame, how did you become such a great artist anyway? How's the infection treating you?"

"Oh, nobody ever really came by to my home besides a few reporters," he laughed, "We haven't been bothered by any as long as we stay quiet and inside." He didn't say anything about the art. Goro narrowed his eyes, watching the man carefully. He appeared to be completely relaxed, but Goro was immune to bullshit, especially those of corrupt adults. He saw through everything that everyone threw at him and it didn't matter what anyone said because he was right. 

"Hm, well, I'm sure we're bothering you," Goro smiled, "Sakamoto and I will join you, but we are going to wait for Kitagawa-kun." He practically dragged Sakamoto away from the kitchen, pulling him towards the back door and throwing him outside. It was not fenced in whatsoever, but there was a shed a few meters out towards the treeline. Goro scanned the small patio area for any cameras or bugs and quickly stepped out from under it. God, this pathetic excuse of a house made him uncomfortable. 

"Are you okay, man?" Sakamoto asked, tilting his head. "No offense, but you wouldn't ever jump at the chance to walk around with me."

"As much as it pains me to admit this, but you're the only one agreeing with me that Kitagawa was strange and my doubts on him are still there, but that does not change the fact that the true problem here is Madarame." Goro crossed his arms, glaring down at Sakamoto. "He has a rumored history of abuse and plagiarism and the only reason he is famous is because of his various art styles, ranging from traditional Japanese to modern art and abstract. It should be impossible. And it is. Based on the confessions of his past students, their art was stolen by Madarame to boost his own fame, companied by physical abuse. Allegedly, it was too much for one of his past students leading to their suicide."

"Holy shit, is that all true?! That's totally unforgivable! And Kitagawa! What about him?!"

"Be quiet!" Goro hissed, "It hasn't legally been proven, but I intend to find out tonight. Kitagawa most likely needs help and we're the only ones asking questions. So don't get fooled by this sick bastard, okay? I have to... rely on you for this one mission." It almost felt gross to say it. Sakamoto nodded, a determined look spreading across his face. It almost felt nice to have someone believe him.

"Well," Ryuji said, "If there are claims of plagiarism, then he's gotta have some kind of record of people he used to have living here... maybe some art at least?"

That actually didn't sound too bad. "This is a small house and I doubt he would have it somewhere in plain sight. Maybe something with a large lock on it..." Goro's eyes drifted to the shed. "What if it's in there? I mean, what else would a suspicious person keep in a shed?"

"I dunno, genius, how 'bout shovels or gardening supplies... or people?"

"Sakamoto, do you see a garden around here? No, you don't."

"Could have come with the house."

Goro rolled his eyes. "This is barely a house," he said, "Now hurry up!"

Goro started storming towards the shed. Sakamoto followed him, going towards the metal door on the side of said shed. It was wood on the outside except for the door, which was painted blue with extravagant yellow dots and feathers. It was strangely flashy for something so out of the way. There was a massive lock on the door and Goro shot him an 'I-told-you-so' smirk. "Kurusu knows how to pick locks, do you?"

"I got no clue." Goro sighed, taking his gun from its holster. "Whoa! We can figure somethin' else out. Not everything has to be solved with a gun."

"You're just mad that you can't use one," Goro sneered, "There's a muffle on it, they won't hear a thing. Step back, by the way."

Goro took a few steps back, adding some distance and waited for Sakamoto. Goro aimed at the lock, quickly shooting it and watching the lock shatter. The bullet got stuck in the metal door, shattering shrapnel to the grass where they were once standing. Sakamoto pulled the door open, peering inside. It was too dark to see anything. The sun was practically fully down, only a few rays of light reaching them. They had to be back before dinner. Goro followed Sakamoto inside, digging through his pockets for his cell phone. Sakamoto started waving his around with the flashlight on. Paintings. Lots of paintings. 

They were all paintings of the same woman. It was traditional art and she had some strange expression on her face, peering down at a cloud of gray wth a branch behind her. The look was hard to decipher and Goro couldn't tell if it was meant to be sad of loving. Sakamoto pulled the tarp off of the easel in the center, finding the same woman once again. Goro squinted through the darkness, trying to see if there was evidence besides this weird obsession with a painting. "Don't get distracted," Goro whispered, "Find evidence." He knelt on the ground, holding his own phone, moving stacks of papers and trying to scan them as fast as possible. 

"I dunno about this," Sakamoto whispered, "It's real effin' creepy in here..."

Goro turned to respond, immediately stopped by something smashing into the side of his head. Holy fuck. Goro groaned, vision blurring. He could hear Sakamoto yelling, but it sounded so far away, so muffled like he was yelling through water. The brightness of his flashlight caught a shadow and some robes before Sakamoto began approaching him. Goro tried pushing him away, reaching for his face, but it felt like his body was weighed down. Sakamoto kept grabbing at him and Goro could feel it on his arms, pulling him from under the table towards a pole. He could see the dark glint of a gun through the dark, reflecting the dropped flashlights. Goddammit. What the fuck hit him? Goro's ears were ringing and keeping his eyes open just felt too tedious...

Pain. Fuck. So much fucking pain. Goro groaned, reaching to touch his--what? He tugged on his arms, but they didn't move. God, it was so fucking dark. He couldn't see shit. He could feel the rough threads of a pre dangling on his fingers and he was leaning against a pole or something. "Sakamoto?" He whispered into the darkness. "Sakamoto?!"

"Akechi? Are you okay?" Saying that his voice was relieving was an understatement. "That bastard hit you over the head with an effin' shovel, and he made me tie you up and he tied me up... Shit, man, how are we gonna get outta this?" 

"Let me think for a second," Goro sighed, "God... Fuck! This is fucking bullshit!"

"Sounds a lot like thinkin'..." He could hear Sakamoto snickering. "At least you were right."

Goro laughed. Genuinely. Like he genuinely laughed at what Sakamoto said. "I was right, wasn't I? Now Kurusu will have to listen to my instincts. We need some light... where are our phones?"

"Madarame smashed them over on the table." Sakamoto stretched his legs, kicking something. "Wait, there's something by my foot. I'll kick it over to you, just tell me where to aim."

"Uh, follow my voice." Goro heard some shuffling before something rolled against his pole. Fuck, it was just out of reach. Goro slumped, twisting his wrists and feeling the pull in his shoulders until he felt the cool metal brush against his fingertips. Just a little closer... Goro pushed his head against the pole, feeling himself yank his shoulder out of its socket and the painful crack in his joints. He grabbed it. Please be a flashlight. It felt like one and he adjusted it in his hands until he felt a switch. 

Light. Light! It flashed towards Sakamoto and the blonde squinted. "Dude, get that outta my face!" Goro chuckled, letting it drop from his hands and let it roll between them to light up more of the shed. That creepy ass painting stared at him. "Anything?" Akechi shook his head, looking around him. A mirror? That could work.

"Can you raise up what you're tied to?" Goro looked at the shelf that Sakamoto was attached to. It wobbled when he moved. Sakamoto pressed himself against it, bracing his feet and attempting to raise it up. The splinters dug into his back and he sighed once his leg gave out. Sakamoto shook his head. "What's wrong with your leg?" He remembered him limping on it back at Shujin. 

"Kamoshida broke it last year," Ryuji hissed, "Bastard broke my femur."

"What a fucking asshole." Goro tried reaching the mirror with his foot. He slouched against the rotting wood, the pain in his arms getting worse and worse. "I fucking hate sick fucks like that who think they have power over _kids."_

"You curse way too much, my guy," Sakamoto said, "What're ya reachin' for?"

Goro's foot brushed against the mirror. It was large with a gold frame. Goro was practically laying down, arms twisted to a painful angle. "Just... need to..." Goro reached his leg bag, kicking the mirror as hard as he could. Fuck, that hurt. He twisted, trying to use his heel instead of his toes. He kicked and he kicked and he kicked until the mirror shattered. The glass fell in shards around his leg, cutting into his pants and his flesh as it crumbled. Goro grit his teeth, screwing his eyes shut. He dug his shoe into the floor, pulling himself up and taking the shard with him. "I can cut myself out."

"Wait, but it'll cut your hand!"

"I have gloves," Goro reassured him, "They'll add protection." Leather gloves without Kevlar lining were fucking useless against cuts. It wouldn't do much. He bent his leg, feeling the muscles in his thigh pull and stretch until he could feel the glass under his fingertips. Goro squeezed it in his hands, twisting it and angling it against the rope. Please work. He started sawing at the rope with the shattered mirror, feeling the glass dig into his gloves until it cut a hole in the leather. God, it hurt. He squeezed his eyes shut, sawing and sawing until the single bit of rope snapped. The mirror began slipping out of his hand, wet with his blood. 

"Are you okay?" Sakamoto asked, "Did you do it?" 

"I-I think so!" Goro dropped the mirror, grabbing the bit of cut rope and trying to flick it to the other side of the pole. He shifted his body to push the rope again, loosening it until he got his hands free. Well, there goes his gloves. Goro stretched his arms, grabbing the shard of the mirror and crawling over to Sakamoto. "I'm gonna get you outta here."

"You're bleeding."

"I'm fine, Sakamoto," Goro glared, "Don't worry about me."

Wait. Goro hushed Ryuji, covering his mouth with his non-bleeding hand. He could hear the wet groans of the dead. The wood was rotting and there were holes, but it was too dark to see. He reached for the flashlight, hearing thumps outside the shed. Goro aimed it towards the light, finding a shadow scratching at the wood. The worst part was that it was giving away. Sakamoto's eyes blew wide. Akechi held back a yell when the zombie breached the wooden board. They were being too loud. Did they attract anything else? Goro squeezed the mirror, slowly approaching the zombie without making too much noise. It reached its disgusting, dirty hands towards him through the gap. Goro grabbed its arm, yanking it all the way through and forcing it to the ground. He stabbed into the side of its skull with the mirror, pushing it in until the zombie stopped struggling.

Both of his hands were bleeding inside the gloves, cuts on both of the expensive leather. Aw, these were his favorite. Goro glared through the gap, trying to listen for any more zombies outside. It sounded clear. Goro grabbed a fresh piece of glass, cutting through Sakamoto's rope and gritting his teeth through the pain. Once Sakamoto was free, they both took a second to catch their breath. "You know, you don't gotta call me Sakamoto," he said, "Just call me Ryuji... I think we're friends now."

"Uh," Goro took a deep breath, staring wide-eyed at the zombie, "You can call me Goro, I guess." _Ryuji_ laughed, rubbing his rope-burned wrists. Goro slumped against the shelf, the pounding in his head finally coming back. "Fuck, my head... what did that bastard hit me with?"

Ryuji pointed towards the shovel leaning against the table. It wasn't there when they walked in. Goro rubbed his head, leaning his head into his knees. "Does it hurt?"

"No, I just _love_ being smashed over the head with a shovel." Ryuji laughed, stretching his arms and moved to stand up. "Why didn't he just hit you and make me tie you up? Ugh, damn bastard's too weak to take us both on." Goro stood up, grabbing the shovel and trying to push open the door. Locked. Of course, it was. He looked towards the fallen area by the zombie. "We have to squeeze through there. Grab the flashlight." Ryuji did and went first, slightly limping when his leg got caught in some of the broken wood. It cut his calf and some blood ran down to his sock. Ryuji hissed, inspecting it for a second before Goro pulled through. Goro's blood was already staining the wood on the shovel, using it to hold himself steady once the dizziness caught up to him again. "My head..."

"Look, we gotta get the others first," Ryuji grasped Goro's shoulders, "We gotta save Kitagawa too."

"He got us in this situation!"

"We got ourselves into this situation," Ryuji raised a brow, "Since when did _I_ become the rational one?"

"Ha...ha..." Goro blinked, leaning his head against the shovel, "I'm a little unstable... you know, with my skull throbbing and the chance that I could be bleeding internally..."

"Right, sorry," Ryuji said, "Let's hurry this up. Why'd you bring the shovel anyway?"

"Ryuji, you have never thought that maybe, just maybe, you don't know me very well." Ryuji didn't miss the dark look in Goro's eyes. "Just remember, he hit me first." 

Goro stumbled towards the house, blinking through the darkness. Ryuji was aiming the light around them to check for danger. Goro stabbed into the ground with the shovel, using it as a walking stick and a brace for his head so the throbbing wouldn't be as painful. Jesus Christ, it was hard to think straight. The back door was locked and Goro peered through the glass. He didn't even care if he was being loud. He raised the shovel like a baseball bat, swinging it as hard as he could. The shovel was grabbed from behind and the force made Goro hit his forehead against the door. _"What the hell?"_ He ripped it away from Ryuji.

"We have to be stealthy and get Kitagawa out."

Goro practically growled. He patted around his waist. The holster was empty! Madarame stole his gun! Goddammit. He tried to rip the shovel away from Ryuji, but the blonde was stronger than he expected. Goro stumbled over to the closest window. It was to the dining room, from what Goro could tell, and he tried to pry open the window. It was locked. "How can we even get in? Just let me _break_ the damned thing!" Ryuji wouldn't let go of the fucking shovel! Goro huffed, holding back the urge to rip his hair.

"Dude," Ryuji grabbed Goro's shoulder, "You're Goro effin' Akechi, smartest guy in school, part-time detective, you can figure it out without violence. You're just disoriented right now."

"I've always been like this," Goro grinned, "Before I lived in Tokyo... I was all bruised knuckles and shit! Fighting and yelling and shit! I'm so _sick_ of being stuck, being fucking _useless!"_

"You're not useless, man," Ryuji frowned, "You just wanted to be accepted, right? Just think for a second."

Goro sighed, rubbing his throbbing head. Okay, how can they get inside quietly? Goro looked over to the window, snatching the flashlight from Ryuji and shining it at the window. It was a latch lock. Old hour, it was almost expected. Goro looked around the patio, spotting a cardboard box of candles tucked behind one of the patio chairs. He dragged his heavy legs to the box, ripping off one of the flaps. He pulled at the window until it had enough space to squeeze the cardboard it. He scraped it up the length of the window, pushing the latch upwards until he heard it knock against the glass. The window opened as he pulled the cardboard out. 

"See? You're smart!"

"Shut _up_ Ryuji." Goro shoved the flashlight at him, taking the shovel back and climbing into the window. Madarame was going to pay for hitting him in the head like that. He was going to regret every decision he ever made up until this point. "Let's get the others."

The hallway was spinning. Goro needed to lean against the wall to keep himself steady. So dizzy... The shovel was stained red on the handle, dripping blood that Goro didn't even realize was still coming out. He could feel the heat throbbing in them, but he needed to keep going. Just keep moving. He held on the railing going up the stairs, seeing the group sleeping with the door open. Kurusu was sitting up, staring out the window, while the girls were asleep. Why was he awake? "Kurusu?" Goro whispered, nearly falling to his knees. He fell into the doorway instead, grasping the shovel for dear life. The man turned around like lightning, eyes growing like saucers.

"Akechi?! Ryuji?! Where have you guys been?!" He was whispering, blinking at the flashlight. "Madarame said you guys went on a walk and you weren't back for dinner. I was so worried. Are you guys okay?" 

Ryuji shined the flashlight on Akechi and Kurusu's attention immediately went to him. Goro's hands were covered in blood and he was sweating, breathing hard, and his eyes looked so dull. "We gotta get outta here," Ryuji said, "We gotta get Kitagawa and we gotta go. Now."

"You two get Kitagawa," Goro mumbled, "I'm gonna teach Madarame not to fuck with Goro Akechi."

"No way," Kurusu said, "You look like hell, we're going to the RV and I'm going to check you."

Ryuji ignored them going to the next room with an open door. Kitagawa's purple hair was easy to spot. He limped inside, blood squelching in his sock. He grabbed Kitagawa, shaking him violently until the artist jolted awake. "Sh," Ryuji covered his mouth, "Your teacher is sick. He's so effed up."

"What are you talking about?" Kitagawa's sleepy voice was deep and breathy.

"He just smashed Goro over the head with an effin' shovel and we know about the abuse and the plagiarism from before. The shed was filled with paintings of this lady with a red shirt and branch... just copies and copies of it. It was freaky."

"The Sayuri? That's impossible! And your friend? Where have you two been?!" Kitagawa sounded like he almost believed Ryuji. The blonde sighed, moving to shut the door before sitting against it to explain. He wouldn't let Kitagawa leave until he believed him.

Goro pushed against Kurusu. Was he just weak or something? God, he couldn't even think straight. He needed to get Madarame back. Kurusu ripped the shovel away, letting it fall to the floor. He grabbed both of Goro's bruised wrists, holding them against the wall. "Stop struggling," he whispered, "Just calm down. You don't have to kill him. Let's get to the RV."

Goro slumped, succumbing to his exhaustion and letting Kurusu pull him closer. Why even fight it anymore? Kurusu shook awaken Takamaki, quietly explaining that they needed to leave and they would explain in the RV. Kurusu wrapped his arm around Goro's waist and holding his arm. "What about Ryuji...?" Goro could barely speak, feeling his eyes drifting shut again. Ah, no, he couldn't. He needed to be awake. He needed to help.

"Ann's gonna wait for him," Kurusu whispered, "We need to get you cleaned up, okay? And we're going straight to Yongen-Jaya. No stopping. Jesus, I'm so sorry this happened."

Goro leaned into him, pressing his bloodied hand against Kurusu's cheek. "It's not your fault," Goro smiled, "I had to be right about something." The weight of his eyes was too much again. Goro slumped into Kurusu, nearly making the younger man fall, but he was already out like a light. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this was so long. I've been wanting to do more detailed chapters and idkk. But I'm tired and its like 4am lol


	9. Homecoming

Akira reminded himself to thank Akechi for grabbing everything at 777. He managed to secure a bunch of bandages and some ointment. He had laid the brunette on the bed, pushing his hair out of his face. Ryuji needed to hurry up before Madarame woke up. Hopefully, Akechi wasn't being too loud. Akira slowly peeled off the gloves, exposing the dried blood and the almost symmetrical cuts on his palms. How did that even happen? Akira wiped the blood off with a wet towel, spreading some disinfectant on the cuts before wrapped them in bandages. His hands were soft. It was like they haven't been exposed to anything. 

He took another small hand towel wringing out the cold water and folding it into a rectangle. He draped it over Akechi's forehead, slowly moving his hand behind Akechi's head and feeling a massive bump. He would definitely have a killer headache. He probably had a concussion. Was Ryuji okay? Akira pulled the blanket over Akechi, turning off the light and shutting the door. Bright lights wouldn't help Akechi's head. Akira found Ann sitting on the couch with Makoto, biting at her nails. "How's Akechi?"

"He'll be fine," Akira said, looking towards the window, "Has Ryuji come out yet?" Ann shook her head. "Hey, don't worry so much, he'll be fine. Madarame's dead asleep."

_"How dare you?!"_ Kitagawa almost screamed, held back by Ryuji. Madarame stared at the teenagers with fury radiating off of his old form. Ryuji didn't mean to rile Kitagawa up, but when Madarame confessed to letting his mother die, he completely lost it. "I cannot believe I ever put my faith in you! You are a disgusting excuse for an artist!"

"Yusuke! Yusuke!" Ryuji dug his heels into the floor. "Let's just go! He ain't worth it!"

Kitagawa sneered at the old man, relaxing in Ryuji's arms before his eyes darted to the nightstand. Madarame didn't own a gun. Kitagawa ripped away from Ryuji, snatching the gun from the nightstand and pointing it at Madarame. "I should kill you..." He whispered, "I should make you pay."

"Yusuke, think about this!" Madarame pleaded, holding his hands out. Ryuji just blinked at him. Why did Akechi trust him with talking to Kitagawa? Akechi was the most level-headed out of the both of him... well, usually he was, but he was planning on taking the shovel to Madarame in revenge. Okay, maybe Ryuji was the better option. Before Ryuji could open his mouth, Kitagawa pulled the trigger. His aim wasn't as accurate as Akechi's. Akechi would have gotten a headshot, but Yusuke just took the man's knee. The scream was gut-wrenching. It wasn't loud because of Akechi's muffler, but holy shit that did not just happen!

"Uh, we should return that to Goro..." Ryuji moved Kitagawa by his arms, turning the man around and guiding him to the RV. "Are you okay, man?"

"Yes, I am fine," Kitagawa said, "I don't know what got into me, but I was just so furious."

"Well, Goro was gonna bash his head in, so I think you saved him from a bad fate."

"I was aiming for his chest."

Oh. Ryuji cringed, waving at the RV when he saw Akira looking through the window. 

Akira let out a breath of relief, opening the door for the two boys, accepting the gun that Kitagawa handed to him. It was Akechi's. Ryuji sat next to the artist on the couch, whispering to him. "Um, Yusuke? Can we call you that?" Ann asked, placing a hand on his shoulder. He nodded. "We're here for you. I know we're strangers to you, but we're gonna be your friends. What even happened, Ryuji?!"

"Uh, Goro and I were lookin' through the shed cuz he heard rumors about plagiarism and abuse and he wanted evidence, so we went in and we're lookin' around... Madarame just smashed him over the head with a shovel and took his gun, so he made me tie him up and then tied me up and we were stuck there. I was awake, Goro was just passed the eff out, and when he woke up after, like, hours, he broke a mirror and cut us out. He only brought the shovel inside cuz he was plannin' on getting revenge." Ryuji shrugged like it was the most casual thing. The bruises on his wrists were evident, but he seemed okay.

"Whoa, Goro?" Makoto raised a brow. "Since when did you two get so close?" Akira almost huffed. Why was he getting jealous? 

"Well, he kinda sliced his hands open cutting me out of my ties and he's pretty cool too," Ryuji laughed, "He saved me from a zombie. Also, he's way more of a dick than I expected, but it's more tolerable when he ain't bein' shady. I dunno, hearing him call Kamoshida a sick bastard kinda hit different."

Ann gaped at him, "I never thought I'd see the day that Ryuji Sakamoto calls Goro Akechi _cool."_

Makoto hummed, standing up and stretching her arms. "Yongen-Jaya, right?" Akira nodded. "I know where that is. What part of it?"

"Uh, the backstreets," he said, "Leblanc."

Akira went back to the bedroom to monitor Akechi. Damn, he wanted to be on a first-name basis with him. Akira flicked on the lamp by the bed, letting the warm light provide him some sight. He didn't want Akechi to wake up to a ceiling light bearing down on him. He heard the brunette groan, moving his hands and slowly opening his eyes. "Akechi!" Akira smiled, "You're up!"

"Wh-?" He moved to sit up until Akira gently pushed him back down. "Where's Madarame?"

"We're in the RV, we're going to Leblanc," Akira said, "How's your head? How are you feeling?"

"I feel like I just got hit by a shovel," Akechi grumbled, "It hurts... I'm not dizzy anymore... the adrenaline kept me going and when I got to you it just... stopped. Ugh, fuck." Akira raised a brow. Since when did he swear? He thought Ryuji was the vulgar one, but Ryuji won't even say fuck. "I want him dead."

"Well, Makoto's already driving away, so you can't." Akira patted the rag on Akechi's head. It was still cool. "Killing living people is bad anyway, even if they do bad things."

"You say that now," Akechi rolled his eyes, "Until you get to that point." Akira hummed, pressing the back of his palm on Akechi's cheek. "What are you doing?"

"Making sure you aren't overheating." 

Akechi stared at him. His curious gaze almost made Akira think about the possible flaws on his face. The shadow of the light made Akira's grey eyes shine. They were so comforting and soft and Akechi couldn't believe that it was directed towards him. Was it really possible that he cared? Akira furrowed his brows. Akechi looked adorable. "Why are you staring at me like that?" Akira whispered, the words coming out breathy.

"I... I don't know." Akechi replied in the same tone. He averted his eyes, pursing his lips. "I can't believe I let him get the jump on me... I should have expected it."

"We were wondering why you guys missed dinner."

"Oh, right," Akechi mumbled, "I was looking forward to that chili-smelling thing. I've never had chili, but I've seen people around me eat it. Tell me, was it good?"

Akira shook his head. Akechi looked a little disappointed. "When we get to Leblanc, I'll make you some curry and it'll be the best thing you've ever had."

"Leblanc..." Akechi's voice was soft. It was the kindest that Akira had ever heard. "You speak of it so... Hm, I forgot what I was going to say... Is it important to you?"

"Yes." Akira smiled at him, pushing Akechi's hair back more. Akechi leaned into the touch, a small smile nestling on his lips. Akira blinked, feeling his face burn. Akechi typically snapped at him, pulling away at every opportunity. When they woke up, he looked like he had light Akira on fire, but now he was just accepting affection like he craved it. "Do you have a place that's important to you?"

Akechi shook his head. "I never had enough free time. I busied myself with work and school so I never had to deal with the guilt."

"Guilt?"

"Ah," Akechi sighed, "I didn't mean to say that." The brunette opened his eyes, offering Akira a pleading look. He almost looked sad, but the smile on his face was genuine. For the first time. "My mother was involved with a bad man and she could not bear the weight of being a single mother, working bars, and bringing men home at night... She tried, I would like to believe, but it was too much for her. She was dead when I returned from school one day... I was passed around foster homes and... I've grown used to being unwanted. People only wanted me around when I could benefit them."

Oh. Akira felt a pain in his chest. Akechi wasn't so closed off because he thought he was better, he was scared. Angry. Akira could understand, to an extent. "My parents didn't want me around either," he said, "I was bad for their reputation, so now I'm here. I'm thankful for it... I got to meet you."

Akechi peeled the rag from his forehead, letting out the cutest yawn. "I'm sleepy..." Akira nodded, moving to stand up. Akechi grabbed his hand before it left his head, darting his eyes to the side to avoid Akira's gaze. "Could you stay? I can't think straight right now..."

Akira woke up when he heard Ryuji yelling. Akechi had curled into his side, closer than ever before, with his head resting on Akira's chest and his leg dangling over him. They weren't moving anymore. Were they there? Akira slowly peeled himself away from Akechi, quietly leaving the bedroom and going out into the main area. They were stopped in front of a large wall. A wall? Ryuji and Makoto were outside, yelling to the people on the other side of the wall. Akira rubbed his eyes, exiting the RV and feeling the hot concrete on his feet. Jesus. "What's going on?" 

"Akira! You talk to these people!" Ryuji stormed back inside, nearly turning red from anger. Huh? He looked to the top of the wall, seeing a few residents of the Backstreets standing on some posts. 

"Um, I live here!" Akira called, "I live with the Sakuras and these are my friends!"

One of the women on the post crossed her arms. "What is your name?!"

"Akira Kurusu! I'm the kid Boss took in!" He saw her raise an eyebrow, sighing before waving to someone below. Makoto let out a sigh, grinning at Akira before running inside the RV to drive it. 

Eh, they weren't far away, he could walk. The makeshift gate was pushed away manually and Makoto cruised inside. Whoa, it looked different. The streets were almost clear of all the clutter and reorganized to provide a strong barrier with the functionality of a working vending machine. He waved to the old man at the second-hand shop. He bought his TV, DVD player, and a gaming system from him. He helped the men push the gate shut, feeling a thankful slap on his shoulder. Oh, it felt nice to be surrounded by people. Nice people. Akira really missed this place.

Makoto parked in one of the open spaces. Wait, Akechi was still asleep. "Ann," Akira stopped her, "Can you wake up Akechi? Leblanc is right down that way and I wanna meet up with my family."

"Of course!"

Family... That's what they were. It was a family, even if none of them were related by blood. Was that how his friendships were as well? They barely knew each other, but it felt so tight-knit and welcoming. Even for Yusuke. God, it felt nice to feel safe. Akechi would love it here. Hopefully, Akechi and Futaba got along. Futaba would never let him live it down if she didn't like him. Akira was the first one inside Leblanc, the quiet jingle announcing their presence. He was hit with the smell of coffee and curry, mixing together and making his mouth water. Home.

"Akira!" Futaba noticed him immediately, rushing from her chair and crashing into him for a hug. "We were so worried!" She pulled him to Sojiro, not releasing him from her hold, and pulled Sojiro into the hug as well.

"It's a relief to see you, kid," Sojiro said, "You made friends?"

"Yeah." Akira looked over at the group. Ann and Akechi were the last ones in. At least Akira wasn't the only one in pajamas now. "Um, Ann... Ryuji... Yusuke... Makoto... and Goro Akechi..."

Futaba released Akira, quickly hiding behind him. She squeaked out her name and Sojiro introduced himself as Boss. Futaba was a shy girl. She preferred locking herself in her room with her PC over meeting new people. She only clung to Akira because he offered a cat. Cat! Morgana! Akira almost knocked Futaba over running to the stairs. Morgana, Morgana, Morgana! He saw the furball laying in his bed, tucked into the blanket like a tiny human. Akira grabbed the cat, hearing him meow in shock. He smothered him in kisses, hugging the black and white cat. He purred, accepting the attention of his favorite human. 

"I missed you, Mona! You have to meet my friends!" He carried the cat down the stairs, holding the cat out like he was Simba. "Everyone, this is Morgana. Mona, for short." 

Morgana struggled from his grasp, landing on his feet before strolling to one of the booths to continue his nap. Oh, it felt so good to be home. He could sleep on his own futon, snuggle his pillow, and meet up with people. He was so tired of being in that RV every day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short. Sorry.


	10. Leaving the Safe Zone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> brO i literally just deleted everything im so mad. take 2.

Three weeks of... nothing. Goro was stuck in bed for most of it and nobody was letting him help out around Yongen-Jaya until his concussion was healed. He wanted to go out and do some zombie hunting... or anything, at least! He sat at the bar of Leblanc, eating some curry and water, somewhat tired of drinking so much coffee. It was a comforting place, as Akira described, but it was lonely. Everyone was so busy with other things. Takamaki and Makoto were helping with starting a produce farm, Kitagawa was given the chance to help make things look presentable, and Ryuji was happily reinforcing the makeshift wall of fences and clutter. Goro didn't even understand how it worked. 

Kurusu was... well, somewhere. Goro didn't see him very much, but Futaba insisted that he was just trying to help the people learn to defend themselves. Futaba was there, at least. She was carrying around a portable gaming system all over the place, slumping anywhere Goro was. It was nice to have the company. Goro heard the radio crackle to life, the intercepted military feed coming through. It was some updates on different zone colors, the progress of information on the infection, and the new law that military personnel can kill on sight.

Great. Goro sighed into his food, pushing around bits of rice until Sojiro placed a small slice of cake in front of him. "You doing okay?" The man asked. Goro nodded, accepting the cake without asking questions. The lights around them flickered. "Ugh, the power's getting weaker every day, I think the generators are starting to fail. We need to send a squad to this old warehouse to get some."

"I can go," Goro said. The opportunity to finally leave this safe haven almost made him smile. Sojiro shook his head. "What? Why not?"

"It's deep in the middle of a red zone. Undead military swarming the area... you'd get overwhelmed."

Goro frowned. He wasn't incompetent. Zombies should be scared of him. He was perfectly capable of fighting braindead meat sacks. "I can handle it! I'm so tired of everyone having something to do and I'm just stuck here being useless!" He heard Futaba grumble from the booth, not even looking up from her game. "Besides! Power is a necessity and most of the people here are old or young children. It's safer to send me."

Sojiro sighed, grabbing a rolled-up map from behind the bar. It was a map of Tokyo, covered in different colored circles and X's. There were a lot of reds and oranges, a few yellows, and only ten green circles. "This is the warehouse." He pointed to a black X in the center of a red circle close to Shinjuku. "It's about an hour and a half walk and we don't have spare cars. You'll need to find a working truck and use it to transport two generators. The ones we need are about two hundred pounds. You can't go alone, so see if Akira will go with you."

Goro smiled, trying to smother the excitement building in his chest. "I will!" Sojiro rolled the map back up, holding it out to the eager boy. Goro nearly snatched it, trying to take it as calmly as possible. Okay! "Um, where can I find Kurusu?"

"I don't know... try Dr. Takemi's office."

Why would he be at the clinic? Goro folded the map up into a small square and put it into his pocket. A trip to Shinjuku wouldn't be that bad. Everyone was probably being dramatic about the amount of infected in those areas, but he would at least be careful. The clinic was almost hidden from the main area and Goro pushed the door open slowly. It was empty. There was nobody in the waiting room or behind the desk. He contemplated dinging the bell, but he opted to just take a seat and wait. Hopefully, Kurusu was in here somewhere. 

Goro needed to gather some items and find some kind of clothing. He didn't have any clothes that he could use for exploring. A gothic-looking woman opened the door of the other room, explaining something to Kurusu before noticing him. "Oh, were you waiting long?"

"Oh, no, I was waiting to speak to Kurusu," Goro smiled politely, "Sojiro Sakura said I could find him here."

"Go ahead." The woman went back into the other room, the chain on her skirt jingling. 

"Did you need something...?" Kurusu approached the door, holding it open for Goro to walk through. "I haven't seen you in a week. How have you been?"

"I've been good." Considering that nobody even bothered to visit him once. Except for Futaba and Ryuji. "There's a mission for us in Shinjuku. Sojiro says we need generators and he said you have to come with me." Hopefully, Kurusu believed him. He didn't want to bother finding a different adventuring partner when Sojiro mentioned Kurusu. It was easy and he was reliable, at least. 

"Are we bringing the others?" Goro shook his head. Truthfully, he didn't want to invite them. "Uh, shit, sure. Let me get my stuff."

"Of course," Goro said, "Do you, by chance, have a sweater I could borrow? I don't have anything to wear on missions."

"Sure. I'll meet you at the gate when I'm done."

Goro needed to grab his own stuff as well. He entered the RV, still parked where Makoto had left it, and started packing things into his backpack. Some snacks, two water bottles, and... his gun. Three weeks of nothing. He packed a few spare magazines and replaced the half-empty one in the gun. This gun had been with him through so much. Was that strange? It was the gun he carried every day and the one he used for everything. If things were really that bad outside then they needed bigger guns. A pistol wasn't going to be the best option for massive hordes, even if it was muffled. Goro exclusively used mufflers for every gun. He needed it to be quiet.

His clothes were decent, but it was far too cold outside to go out in a t-shirt and pants. Kurusu would grab him a sweater. The ones he had were all for business only. Casual clothes before the apocalypse were unheard of for him. It was just strange. It almost felt wrong. Goro adjusted his holster to situate comfortably around his hips before dropping his gun in and strapping his backpack across his chest. He didn't like the clips at first, but they were tactical. 

Goro got to the gate before Kurusu, spotting Ann sitting on one of the crates. She hadn't noticed him. Or maybe she did and chose not to say anything. Kurusu arrived a few minutes later and Ann greeted him with a grin and a wave. Of course she did. Everyone adored Kurusu. He tossed a black hoodie at Goro with a small logo on the chest and a massive version of it on the back. Yasogami High? Goro took off his backpack to put it on. It was warm and it smelled like Kurusu. It was almost overwhelming. He readjusted the backpack straps to accommodate the massive hoodie. 

"Thank you," Goro said, "Shall we head out? We have a long walk ahead of us."

The map for the green zone extended a good bit into the map before they got to a yellow zone. Well, the main road was the yellow zone, from what Goro could remember about the map. Kurusu would ask questions and it was best that Goro just led the mission until they needed to compromise. "I'm sorry I never visited you," Kurusu said, breaking the silence, "Everyone was just really excited to have me back and they needed some help with a bunch of things. I wanted to make sure everyone would be safe if we ever had to leave."

Goro rolled his eyes. "Three weeks," he tried not to let the bitterness through, "You had three weeks to spare a single minute and you didn't. You don't have to pretend like you were busy. I don't even care." Kurusu glanced at him from the corner of his eye. "Besides, Ryuji and Futaba were there."

"How did you and Ryuji get so close anyway?" Oh, he sounded annoyed. It almost made Goro smirk. "One second he was complaining about you being a dick and the next, he was saying you were cool and always tries to hang out with you." Was he jealous? Seriously? Of Ryuji Sakamoto?

"We were tied up together in a shed." Did everyone just forget about that part? "He talked me out of smashing the window and it was nice to have someone validate my anger." Ryuji was going to let him kill Madarame. Honestly, Goro was thankful for that. Even if the blonde didn't agree with what he wanted, he was going to let him do it anyway. "Besides," Goro smirked, "He's really easy to talk to and I enjoy the buffoon's presence." 

Goro swore he heard Kurusu huff. They were on the main street now and Goro could only see a few distant zombies. They were too far and too scarce to even bother with. Kurusu still had that baseball bat strapped to his bag. Did he ever learn how to shoot a gun? There were almost a month into the apocalypse. "We're going to need to get a truck before we get the generators. They'll be too heavy to transport."

"Okay." Curt and straight to the point. How kind. Goro frowned, leading them down one of the alleyways of Shibuya. Jesus, he could smell the decay on the other side. There was an iron gate that separated the zombies from them, but they haven't even noticed the two boys yet. Shit, that's the way they needed to go. There wasn't really another option other than that road and it was... crawling with the dead. They were bumping into each other and growling, some were even swiping at other zombies. They needed to be quiet.

"I'm going to unlock the gate," Goro whispered.

"Are you crazy?!"

"We can draw them out and get through." Goro scanned the buildings they were next to. A fire escape! The ladder was a little too high for them to reach, so he had to unlock the gate. 

"You would lead them _straight_ to Yongen-Jaya," Kurusu grabbed Goro's arm, squeezing it roughly, _"No._ Find another way."

They couldn't get to another building from the fire escape, but they could enter the building from the rooftop. He had no idea how many dead were inside or even what kind of building it was. How would they even get through the zombies once they got to the street anyway? Okay, Goro, critical thinking. If they rely on sound and smell rather than eyesight, could they somehow blend in with the zombies? There was no way to properly test the theory without being in direct contact... it was too risky to try right now. What if they could cause a distraction and get through? They would need to make a loud noise without being near the zombies. How? 

Goro sighed, maybe they could find something inside the building. A piece for glass to throw down the street could work, but it would need to be loud. How could they even reach the ladder? There were a few trash cans, but they weren't large enough to get up. He looked at Kurusu, trying to visualize their height difference. "Boost me," Goro said, approaching the fire escape. "There should be something up there to lower the ladder."

"Alright, don't make too much noise." Kurusu folded his hands and squatted down. Goro never needed to be boosted and he hoped that Kurusu had enough strength to lift him high enough. Goro ran at him and felt the lift before he jumped. He grabbed the bottom leg of the ladder, the weight of his body forcing what held it locked to break. It sent him back down to the alleyway floor, the sound of screeching metal echoing through the alleyway and drawing the attention of whatever dead were close enough to hear it. Probably the entire block. Hopefully, he was just being dramatic. "Way to go with the noise," Kurusu commented.

No time. Goro clambered up the ladder, waiting for Kurusu to follow him before kicking the ladder to the ground. It was loud, but it was safe to have the way up destroyed. He did not want to be zombie food. The stench of decay and blood was wafting from the other side of the road. Goro had grown used to the smell of blood... but in such a mass amount... "Hey? Are you okay?" Kurusu tilted his head, "Is it the smell?"

"Yeah," Goro mumbled. He watched a few zombies enter from the other side of the alleyway. They were a good distance away before the ladder fell, so the noise must have drawn them over. Hm, the one with the skirt was way too far to hear anything... maybe their sense of hearing was adapting with their eyesight. They weren't slow unless they were injured. Most of them were... probably from being attacked by other zombies. Kurusu watched Goro, wondering why he was staring so intently at the zombies. They should be going before they get noticed. 

The zombies were crowding under the fire escape, but they didn't notice them and they were being silent. Smell. They probably smell them. Maybe they could sneak through zombies if they disguised themselves. Goro looked over to Kurusu, standing to go up the stairs of the fire escape. It was so loud. The zombies below them tried reaching, but the ladder was already gone. Could zombies even climb ladders? So many questions Goro wanted answers to and such little ways to test them out. If the infection was a disease, then could a cure be possible? What about immunity? Exposure to a disease in small doses would create immunity, but how could someone expose themselves to the zombie virus without becoming one? 

"Are you sure you're okay? You look zoned out."

"Keep going, Kurusu."

Goro followed behind Kurusu, keeping up easily. Kurusu was running out of breath with all the stairs, letting out pants and huffs while Goro was almost completely fine. Bicycling is cardio and a leg workout. It came in handy, apparently. They stopped on the eighth floor of the building and Kurusu peered into the window. He turned on the flashlight attached to his backpack strap, pressing it against the glass to get a better look. It was an apartment. There was a blood trail in the kitchen, but Kurusu couldn't see any movement. 

"It should be fine," he said, "Be careful, though, I'm not completely sure."

"We'll find out in a second." Goro took out his gun, slamming the butt of it against the window and shattering the glass. Kurusu jumped, sharply looking around like a zombie could get them from the ground. 

"You seriously need to be more conscious!" Kurusu scolded, kicking away some broken glass. "You don't know if there's any of them nearby!"

"They're slow and loud," Goro rolled his eyes, "We're smarter than all of them combined."

"And what about other people? What if they hear us?"

"Then we kill them?" Goro spoke like it was the most obvious thing in the world. He flicked on his own backpack attached flashlight before jumping through the broken window. "It smells like shit in here."

Akira sighed, glancing around before following after him. Did Akechi not care about human life? Legitimately? 

Akira looked around the apartment. The couch was old and stained, magazines and dirty glassware strewn over the coffee table and the floor. The only blood was in the kitchen and it was dragged onto the carpet of the living room and to the front door. He found a small pendant with a bloody fingerprint on it and a broken chain. It had a silver chain and a pink jewel in the center of two silver holder things. It looked like something Ann would like, but that would just be weird. It was broken anyway.

"Hey, this isn't a museum," Akechi called, "Hurry it up." Akira almost glared at him. Why was he being so cold lately? Was he still mad about the lack of a visit? They had a job to do, didn't they?

Akira grabbed one of the framed pictures off a dresser. It was a man and a woman, grinning at each other while their hands formed a heart on the woman's lower stomach. Oh, was she pregnant? Were they even still--

"Kurusu!" Akechi grabbed his arm, yanking him to the floor. What? Akechi stood up, shoving back a massive zombified man. He was taller than both of them and way bigger. It barely moved when Akechi shoved him. Holy shit!

Akira scrambled away from it, crawling until he could get to his feet. Akechi had knocked over the dresser, trying to put some space between himself and the zombie. Akechi was agile and fast, turning and shooting the zombie in the face. Jesus, its face. It had something growing out of its eyes and creating some kind of armor on its forehead. The bullet only cracked it and stayed put on its forehead. What the...?

Akechi shot it a few more times, standing over Akira and taking each shot until the zombie finally fell down. Akechi was yelling something, slowly approaching the fallen creature and checking to make sure it didn't have a face anymore. The man in the photo was tall, but he wasn't all big like that. The growth... what was that? Akechi grabbed one of the things growing out of its eyes, peeling it away from the forehead and attempting to pull it out. 

"Disgusting," Akechi spat, "How did this even happen?"

"It's been like three weeks," Akira panted, sitting up, "It's probably just another phase of infection. Maybe... the longer they're zombified, the worse it gets?"

"That makes sense, but..." Akechi took out a switchblade from his pocket. Where did he get that? He cut off the red thing from the zombie's eyes. "What the hell is this? Are there different kinds?"

"We should just go." Akira grabbed Akechi's arm. "We still have to get through that horde."

"Uh, right," Akechi mumbled. He threw the red thing on the ground following Akira to the front door. What the hell?

The apartment complex was nothing like Akechi's. It was filthy and there were water stains all over the ceiling and walls. There was a lot of blood on the walls and soaking into the dirty carpet. Akechi's wrinkled his nose. Akira should have assumed that he would act like a prick in an environment of the less fortunate. Not everyone can afford a fancy penthouse apartment in Shibuya. If what Akechi said about his mother was true, then why wouldn't he be more sympathetic? 

The stairwell was easy enough to find and it was unlocked. All they needed to do was just get through that horde, right? Ugh, there was going to be too many to just fight off. Akira really hoped that Akechi had some kind of plan. 

Honestly, the stairwell was creepy. It was dark and Akira could hear some distant water drops. What if there was something down below that they didn't see. "There should be a basement, right?" Akechi asked, peering over the railing into the blackness below. "If there's a basement, then we can go through the sewers."

"How do you know that it would connect to the sewers?" Akira raised a brow. Usually, he wouldn't question Akechi on the random things he just happened to know, but this was a little too specific. That and Akira didn't really want to walk around a sewer. 

"I just do," he shrugged, "I saw some construction cones outside, so maybe they were doing something before the outbreak. It could prove useful if they were."

Right... Akechi was talking to him like he was when they first met. Calm, polite, and strictly business. He was definitely mad about something. 

It felt like they were going down an endless flight of stairs. It just never stopped. It was desolate and there was blood on the walls. A piece of paper caught Akira's eyes. It was taped to the railing of the fourth floor. Akira peeled it off, adjusting his light to read it properly.

_It bit me_

_It hurts, it stings_

_Hunger. I'm so hungry, but not for food_

_I'm sOrRy i DidNt mEaN tO_

The rest was distorted in scribbles. Akira gulped, trying to tape it back on. The tape didn't hold and it drifted through the bars down to whatever fate was down below. Akira looked over to Akechi, completely unphased by what Akira saw. Did he not notice it? Akira really didn't want to be in here. Let alone a basement! He watched enough horror movies to know that basements are a big no-no and Akechi really didn't seem to care that it was life or death outside. He should have just stayed home. Saying no to Akechi was like kicking a puppy. Probably. Akira never said no to Akechi. At least, he was less volatile towards him and less trigger-happy when he had a gun to Akira. 

"Ah, just like I hoped!" Akechi exclaimed, looking at the bright red 'B' sign on one of the doors. Akira looked around the floor, spotting a body a few feet away from the center. "Ugh... that smell..." Akechi turned around, finally noticing the fucking half-eaten corpse. "What a tragic fate."

The body's head was caved in, most likely from the fall, but its arms were nearly bone and the skin was torn apart at the torso. There weren't even organs spilling out anymore. Gross, gross, gross! Akechi nearly touched the smeared bloody handprints on the door. What could have happened here? There were X's around the handprints and someone finger painted 'do not open' on the door. Akechi jiggled the knob, finding it locked.

"Why is it that you read the word 'do not open' in a place where there are zombies and you try to _open_ the door?" Akira almost yelled, rubbing his face with his hands. 

"What if it was unlocked," Akechi shrugged, "Besides, I'd rather have what's in this basement than the hundreds on the street. Wouldn't you?"

"After that _thing_ in that apartment, I'd rather take the stupid ones outside," Akira groaned, "Come on, I thought you were smart! Where's your survival instinct?!"

"I don't have one," Akechi snapped, "I have logical thinking, unlike you, and I say it's safer than the numbers outside. Besides, even if it was a mutated one, that one was blind. It was only walking towards you because of the noise, so we can just hide from what's inside."

"Seriously?! First of all, you can't just _not_ have a survival instinct! Second of all, we don't even _know_ that mutated zombies are all gonna be blind! There could be different kinds of mutations!"

Akechi gave him a deadpan look like he was saying something outrageous. "They're not just going to regain their eyesight, Kurusu," he said, "It's likely not even more than five. If there are more than five zombies, I'll do everything you ask for the remainder of the trip, okay?"

"Anything?"

Akechi nodded, stepping away from the door. "Can you pick the lock?"

Akira obliged the request. Anything could mean a lot of things. Honestly, having Akechi listen to his opinion for once would be worth a hundred zombies, but _anything?_ Akira would risk it all. Was that weird? The lock clicked and he pushed the door open. Immediately, the vomit-inducing stench of rot and sewage mixed together stunk up the entire stairwell. Akira gagged into his sleeve, trying to cover it. There was water all over the floor from what he could see. At least there was sewage? The basement itself was pitch black, with the sound of groaning and water drops echoing from within. 

Akechi peered inside, scanning the area for dead before walking in. Okay, Akechi, no need to act concerned or anything. Jesus Christ. His shoes sloshed around the water and weren't quiet whatsoever. Akira could hear zombies and there was a good amount of clutter that they could hide behind. It sounded really close. Akira slid his bat out from where it was strapped to his backpack, staying close to Akechi. It wasn't that he didn't think Akechi could handle himself, he definitely could, but he still wanted to be close. Just in case.

He looked around one of the corners, spotting some zombies hunched over a body, ripping and tearing at the flesh. They somewhat fought each other when one grabbed something from the other, but they seemed to ignore each other. They probably weren't attracted to other zombies in a hungry way. There was a way for them to distinguish other zombies from humans. Akechi aimed his gun, ready to put them down. Akechi shot, hitting one of them in the head, which caught the attention of the other. Shit.

It barreled at them with a speed they weren't used to, it twitched and swung its arms around to attack them. Akechi ducked into the water, dropping his gun in surprise. Shit! Shit!

Akira jumped to the side, the zombie's attention focused on him. Akira bit his tongue, swinging the bat and having it slapped away by its swinging arms. It clattered to the floor, echoing into the area. Akira fell back, trying to kick and back away from the zombie as it jumped at him. It collapsed on him, blood splattering all over his face and collapsing its face into his shoulder. It's not moving? No pain. Akira's heart pounded in his chest, thumping and hurting. It felt like he couldn't breathe, couldn't move. Holy shit, holy shit. He rolled the zombie's corpse off of him, lifting his head to stare at Akechi with wide eyes. The brunette was still holding his gun, heaving panicked breaths. Okay, he was okay. Akechi saved him? Oh, thank fuck.

"Are you okay?" Akechi asked, moving to stand. Akira nodded, gulping as he looked around them. The groaning was still there. There were more of them? The body they were eating had its brains blown out. It had a gun near its hands. The easy way out, huh. They must have gotten trapped in here with the other zombies and just ended it before they could turn. Akechi bent over to check the gun. "There's still ammo in here. Here."

Akira caught it, blinking down at it. It was heavy. Well, heavier than he had expected. Akechi's spare guns were small and light, but they were never used. Nobody knew how to use a gun in the group except for Akechi. "I don't know how to shoot."

"Here, look," Akechi grasped Akira's hands, adjusting them to the proper hold. Oh! He's holding Akira's hand! Akira's face warmed, but he tried to focus on Akechi. "You do this to cock it, that's the safety, this is how you get the magazine out, and you aim it like this." He raised Akira's arms, standing close to him and adjusting it until Akira was looking down the sight. "Just make sure to stay steady and if you drop it, just let it fall."

"O-Okay," Akira breathed, "Um... you have eight more zombies until you do anything I want."

"I'm keeping count," Akechi smirked, "Let's hurry this up."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This got really long and I wanted it to be stressful so if its not i sowwy. Also i didn't update yesterday i didn't feel creative. sowwy homies enjoy this chapter tho I'm boutta start the next one like rn


	11. The Bodies in the Basement

The water was at their ankles when they got deeper into the basement. Akira could still hear the sounds of the dead echoing from all over. He couldn't tell which direction. He was soaking wet on his backside and he knew his socks would be as well. Akechi wasn't better off either. The fast zombie had been a surprise for both of them. Akechi aimed his gun as he checked around a corner. The groaning was especially loud over here. It was more of the twitchy ones. There were five in just this one open area. They were jumping at every sound, twitching and flailing like the one before. 

"Your gun lacks a muffler," Akechi whispered, "We need to do this quietly."

Akechi was the one with the knife. Akira didn't have one. The brunette pursed his lips for a moment, taking said switchblade from his pocket. "I'll shoot them when I get far." Akechi was right. Even with a suppressor, the gun still sounded like a pellet. It wasn't loud, but it would draw the attention of zombies. "The easiest part to stab is the temple. Grab them from behind." He held the knife out to Akira. What? Seriously? "If you need help, just scream my name."

Akechi crouched and went around the barrier. Akira blinked, his face turning red once again. Goddammit. He snuck around behind the pile of clutter, ducking behind a desk. So cold, so wet. He peered at the zombie nearest to the desk. It was facing the wall, scratching at its arms and twitching. Akira would prefer having the length of the baseball bat. Akechi had a gun! He had range. Akira lunged for the zombie, wrapping his arm around its neck and stabbing the knife into its temple, just like Akechi instructed. He slowly brought the body into the water, staying crouched. The body silently floated next to him. Jesus Christ, this is sick. 

Akira took a deep, shaking breath. He can't do this. He can't do this. This is so gross. The bat was at least impersonal! Akira didn't like being so close to them, feeling them struggle made his skin crawl. They're dead, Akira, they're already dead. Okay, he had to do this.

He heard the sound of a pellet, one of the zombies collapsed into the water. The amount of contamination. The other zombies went towards the sound. Towards Akechi. Akira shuffled in the water, grabbing the closest one to him and stabbing it like he did the other one. Quiet, stealthy. Akechi took out another one. The last was still twitching and growling, but it was darting around all confused. Akira lunged at it, but it noticed him. Akira almost dropped the knife, punching the zombie in the face to get it to hunch over. Jesus, fuck. He stabbed it as hard as he could into the back of its head, its unrelenting grip on his sleeve lightened and it collapsed into the water, splashing it all over Akira.

Akechi popped up from behind a chair. Akira rinsed the blood off the blade in the water, folding it and holding it out for Akechi. "You did good," Akechi said, "Keep it. It could save you later."

"Uh, thanks." Akira slipped it into his pocket, staring at the other boy. It was unfair how beautiful he looked soaked in sewage water and blood. "Any idea on where to head?"

"Well... I kinda lied about the construction..." Akechi mumbled, "The building across the street is an office building and rather shady, so they wanted some tunnels attached to other buildings for literal underground transporting... I'm pretty sure it could link to this basement, but it'll be a really loud door to open. It's big and creaky and it's going to be locked and blocked off, but it'll get us across the street."

"How do you know this again?"

"I was a detective," he shrugged, walking away. Yeah, no, that wasn't a valid answer. Seven zombies. Honestly, Akira hoped there would be more in here. There were still distinct groans coming from inside. How far did this go? 

Akechi stopped them when he noticed four zombies stumbling around each other and tripping over some things in the water. Ugh, he was tired of seeing them. He shot each one, even after they started noticing where the sound was coming from. Okay, hotshot. Akira blinked at him--there was no need for Akechi to be that good of a shot, even with moving targets. Detective or not! "You're hiding something," Akira hummed, "My first demand of you doing anything is that you stop lying to me~"

"I haven't lied to you." Akechi crossed his arms, raising a brow at Akira.

"Why are you so informed about everything and such a good shot? And it's not just because you were a detective."

"Fine, but you won't like me anymore," Akechi shrugged, "My father was a wealthy politician and, since he ruined my entire life, I wanted to get him back. I met some yakuza guys who wanted me to do some things for them, like underground transporting and hits. In return, they would put me in contact with one of theirs in the Diet and I'd get in easy. I could've worked at my own father's hitman, but I wasn't going to help him with anything."

Okay, that was kinda freaky. "That explains the disregard for human life." Honestly, Akechi had his reasons and he seemed really murder-hungry anyway. An image of Akechi clad in all black, possibly leather, holding a gun to Akira with some sick smirk on his face flashed into Akira's mind. He shook his head, feeling his face warm up. "Don't worry about it! Were they bad people, at least?"

"Probably." The groaning was gone. It was nice to talk in normal volume. "I dunno, it was mostly guys that caused them trouble after intimidation. Some high-profile politicians, but I never asked questions."

It was definitely inappropriate, but Akira could not stop thinking about Akechi being a hitman. He was so polite and soft, so passively condescending... but the small snippets of spite and a vindictive nature... He thought that it was all, but to know that he did it for a job? He was most likely calm and collected, completely cold... That was hot. 

"Kurusu, you're turning red again." Akechi's tone was dull like he was bored with their conversation. "I don't make you uncomfortable, do I?"

Well, when someone finds out their crush is a hitman and the dirty thoughts pop up, they have the chance to be uncomfortable. "Nope, not even a little bit." 

Akechi raised a brow at him, sighing. "Well, don't expect me to act any different just because I told you this information."

"What did you wear to your hits?" 

Akechi paused, blinking over at Akira. He definitely didn't expect _that_ to be a question. "Um..." What did he wear? "Black, mainly, something to blend into the shadows... I wore a black mask helmet thing? It had horns on it. Um, leather straps and stuff." God, that was embarrassing. He wanted to look nice, okay? "We need to hurry this along."

The end of the basement had a massive door. It was just like Akechi described. Akira watched him approach the massive lock. It was one of the locks that needed to push it up to unlock and then down to lock. It just blocked the door from moving. The water seemed to seep in from there. Akechi squatted down, his pants tightening around his hips and...things, using most of his strength to push it up. Holy shit! The screeching of metal on metal made Akira's ears hurt. It scraped against the ground, water gushing out of it. 

"Ugh, great," Akechi mumbled, "It's a few steps down, so don't expect to stay dry or anything."

Akira sloshed in the water, feeling chills when it touched his knees. Gross, gross, gross. God, he felt disgusting. Akechi cringed, holding his arms at his chest. "We aren't going to get diseases, right?"

"Hopefully not," Akechi grumbled, "Well... maybe some bugs. It isn't that long of a tunnel. We're just crossing the street from underneath."

He was right. Akira could see the door from where they were, but it was halfway in the water. Water. If he could call it that. It was dirty and littered with nasty things people flush or toss in some water. Litterbugs. "Can we take a shower break when we get out of here?"

"Did you bring a shower, Kurusu?"

Akira shook his head. Akechi struggled to get to the door, trying to unlock it again. It was louder with the tunneled echo, probably gaining the attention of every zombie within miles. Akira stumbled when the water flushed out, pushing him on his hands and knees. It was dry! The concrete floor was actually visible! Akechi groaned, sitting on a dry spot when he pulled himself from the sewage. 

"Ugh, a pipe probably burst," Akechi said, "Fucking hell, I may throw up."

"You and me both. At least you have to listen to me now." Akira laughed, taking a deep breath as he did so. He was really limiting his breathing in there because it was so disgusting. "I say... we should find somewhere to clean ourselves."

"It isn't that I disagree with you, but where would we even find such a place?"

"Inokoshira Park is nearby, isn't it? We could jump in the lake." Sure, a lake wasn't exactly the mode ideal option, but the only bathhouse he knew was in Yongen. Akechi sighed, mumbling an agreement. Anything was better than what they smelled like, honestly. 

"It amazes me that Yongen-Jaya still has running water," Akechi said, "Do you have any idea as to how?"

"I think the water facility nearby still has a reserve. There aren't many people living in the Backstreets, so the water will probably last a few more weeks. I heard some people talking about starting a well system."

Akira liked staying in the Backstreets. So did everyone else in their group, from what he could tell... except for Akechi. He hadn't come out of Leblanc since they arrived, but Ryuji had told him that he was always complaining about being bored. Akechi had taken up Akira's bedroom, so Akira was sleeping on Sojiro's couch until Akechi's concussion healed. He just got busy and... never came by.

The park was empty when they arrived. There was a lone zombie laying on the grass, legs reduced to nothin was bone that could not support itself. He must have gotten eaten. "We should put him out of his misery," Akechi frowned, "I'm not wasting ammo on something so worthless. Use your bat."

"He was a person once." Akira took his bat from his backpack. "You don't need to be cruel."

"It's pathetic," Akechi narrowed his eyes. Akira raised the bat, slamming down on the zombie's skull. It splattered on the grass around his head, getting the red on the baseball bat. "Kurusu, you won't let me become one of those things, right?"

"What?"

"If I'm ever bitten, I expect you to have the courtesy to not let me turn. I won't waste ammo on myself, but if I need to, I will." Akechi talked about death like it was business over coffee. Akira frowned, looking down at the bat. The girl at Shujin had begged for death, but... he still let her turn. "I'll do it for anyone in the group. I'd rather remember you as you are."

Akira offered him a small smile, staring down at the zombie. "As long as I can help it, none of us will turn. We'll survive until the end and we'll grow old and humanity will make it."

"You have a lot of faith."

Akira followed Akechi to the lake, dropping his backpack to the grass. The brunette dropped his bag and gun next to Akira's, frowning at the water. "Scared?" Akira smirked, inching closer to Akechi from behind. Before the brunette could reply, Akira pushed him into the lake. It wasn't very deep, but Akechi was sitting halfway submerged in the water. 

"You bastard!" Akechi crawled further into the water, pants clinging to him like a second skin. Damn. Akira tore his eyes away, wading into the water as well. It was cold, but it smelled better than sewage. Akira dunked his head underwater, running his fingers through his hair and trying to wash the stench out. Akechi's hair was pushed back, exposing his entire face and soft features. "Done?"

"Yeah, I'm ready to leave." They still had a ways to go until Shinjuku and Akira wanted to make as much progress as they could before nightfall. They would need shelter.

Akechi grabbed his soaked back, heavier than it usually was because of it, and waited for Akira to get himself together. Akechi did not invest in a waterproof bag, so everything that wasn't packaged was soaked. They walked through the park in comfortable silence, listening out for any suspicious sounds. Akira's hand brushed against Akechi's, but the brunette didn't react. Had he even noticed? 

"Do you ever wonder what you would be doing right now if this never happened?"

"No idea," Akira shrugged, "I like to live in the here and now."

Akechi glanced over at him. "That's rather... admirable of you, I suppose. I find myself thinking about where I could be had everything been normal. School exams, detective work, talk shows..." He trailed off, a frown replacing the blank expression. The hitman work hung unspoken.

"If I think about it, I think I would be dealing with rumors and trying to get your attention. I guess some good came out of it, then." The look on Akechi's face made Akira's embarrassment worth it. "Why the surprise? Aren't you used to people falling for you?"

"Celebrity crushes are only there because of what the public sees, not what the real person behind it is really like." Akechi sounded sad, but his face remained neutral. "I'm merely surprised that you still insist on flirting with me after everything you've seen."

"I told you, I like you." _Even if you won't like me back._ "I like you for who you are."

_"Why?"_ Akechi hugged his arms, averting his gaze to the grass. 

"Well," Akira hummed, "When I first saw you, I thought you were gorgeous, and then you were being an absolute prick to me, but subtlety, and I thought to myself... I want to make this boy fall for me. You were so openly aggressive to me and so blunt with your disgust, but you just looked so pretty and your voice was just so soft. And now I've gotten to spend time with you and I just like you more." Akechi frowned, not looking up from the ground. He was probably regretting ever asking Akira to come. 

"I hate you," Akechi mumbled, "We don't have time to talk about such trivial things."

"You _asked?"_

Akechi shot him a look, reverting back to that blank, business only expression. Just when Akria thought they were making progress. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So i changed up some of Goro's hitman work stuff. ahh im v tired. sorry this took so long lol


	12. A Quiet Night?

The sun started setting earlier than Akira expected. Maybe the time just passed. They were somewhat close to Shinjuku, but it would still be a thirty-minute walk. "Hey, there's a shrine over there," Akira said, "We can spend the night inside." It was dark inside and there were hundreds of papers strewn across the ground and pasted on a small wall. Desperation. People must have come by and prayed, left offerings to whatever god was listening. 

Akechi looked up at the sky, "Sure." 

It was sad to see the shrine so desolate. It was unlocked, completely empty on the inside. Melting candles were placed on different surfaces, mats messily bunched up on the floor. It looked like someone was in a hurry to leave, but they still wanted others to come by. "There are no zombies in here," Akira commented, "I wonder why."

"Shrines are usually empty save for a few people, so it would make sense that those inside would escape... this isn't a very populated area." Akechi just knew everything, Akira supposed. "We'll need to block the doors though."

Akechi dragged one of the tables to the door, scratching the wood. Akira wasn't religious, but it felt wrong to just scratch up the floors of a holy place that gave them a place to stay. Akechi inspected one of the vases, balancing it on the edge of the table. If anything touched the door, the vase would fall and shatter. The sun still peeked through the windows, but it wouldn't last for long. Akira sat on the floor, peeling his jacket off and dropping it to the floor with a loud squelch.

"So, how was it?" Akira asked, leaning back on his arms. "Being stuck in Leblanc, I mean."

"Oh, it was tremendous," Akira rolled his eyes, "I just loved sitting in your pathetic excuse for a bed for three weeks with the annoying sound of people having fun coming in through the window." What was he talking about? Backstreets was a very quiet area, so there wasn't really anyone chatting loud enough for it to go through the window. "You have that stupid look on your face. I'll assume you don't know what I'm talking about. You and your ridiculous friends aren't very quiet when you're together."

"Are you mad about that?" Akira raised a brow, looking over to the brunette. He was peeling off layers of soaked clothing and laying them across the floor. 

"I don't care about what you do," Akechi snapped, "It was simply irritating."

Right... Akechi was a horrible liar. He was definitely mad. "You jealous that we were having fun without you?"

Akechi glared at him, lifting his t-shirt over his head. Shit. Akira looked away, the cracks in the floor suddenly interesting him. "You and your teammates piss me off," Akechi muttered, "All righteous and noisy about your pathetic beliefs."

He tossed the shirt on the ground, knocking over one of the space dividers to snoop through the closet. There were some small hand towels that Akechi used to dry his hair and skin. He threw one at Akira without looking at him. Did Akira make him mad? Akechi had the shortest fuse of anyone he had ever met, he just kept it inside of him. It must be so suffocating to live like that. Akira ran it through his hair, cringing at the cool air. "You're part of that team."

"I hope you realize something, Kurusu," Akechi drawled, "I am not one of your little friends. I'm only with you people because you benefit me and if you become useless, you become expendable. Do not test me."

Wow, okay. Akechi was being so nice in the park, but now he was just being a dick. Akira frowned, "Look, I'm sorry that I never visited you in Leblanc. I always thought about you, but everyone else just kept getting in the way."

"Getting in the way?" Akechi laughed, but it was a little off. "I don't like it when people get in my way." His voice was all rough and... it was so weird. "How about we make a deal, then?"

"A deal?"

"Yes." Akechi approached him, dropping to the floor to corner Akira. He placed his hands on either side of Akira's legs, getting right in his face with some twisted look on his face. "The rush I get from dealing with these disgusting zombies is nothing like what I've felt before. They drop dead so easily, don't you agree? I know you feel the same way, but you're too much of a coward to admit it. We could have so much fun out in the world and nobody would stand a chance if we teamed up."

Um? Akechi was hot when he was unstable, but that was a little intense. "What are you saying?"

"We don't have to stay in that cage," Akechi smiled, "We can complete the mission and go out on our own. Think about it! Spending our lives just killing zombies and scavenging for some fun. I'm so sick of being stuck, living the same mediocre day over and over and over."

"I'll ask the others--"

"Fuck them, Kurusu, they only hold you back."

"No," Akira said, the firmness in his voice almost making Akechi falter, "They're my friends and if I leave, they're coming with me."

"Fine, but you'll leave with me, right? I know you're enjoying this." Akira gulped, the tightness in his chest threatening to break his composure. Any sign of weakness would make him vulnerable. Akechi's eyes looked so empty all the time, but he just had a crazed look in them at the moment. What's gotten into him? "You need me."

"If the others agree to leave Backstreets in search of adventure, then yes. If they all agree to stay, I'm staying with them."

Akechi huffed, backing off from Akira with a massive frown. "Very well." Okay, now he was calm? 

"What's wrong with you? Your personality just switched out of the blue."

"It was just a proposal? I don't understand what you're getting at." Did he seriously not notice how out of it he looked when Akira talked about friends? Okay, fine, he could just chalk it up to him being mad or whatever. Akechi's eyes widened out of nowhere and he frantically reached into his pocket. A folded up and soaking wet piece of paper. Was it important? He unfolded it carefully, trying not to rip the fragile paper, and spread it on the ground. "Oh, thank god, it's still legible." The colors were faded and spread out, but Akechi could still see the colors. "We're right here next to the park, a green zone, but the next zone we have to pass is a compound."

"What? You have a map?" 

"Sakura-san gave it to me before we left." Akechi pointed at the next zone with a smudged word on it. "I remember what it said. It's a military-run compound for survivors."

"Survivors? Isn't that good? Why is it red?" Having people wasn't a bad thing. Akechi rolled his eyes.

"Military, Kurusu, that's the bad part. We need to break into an overrun military warehouse and running into any of them will cause problems. We don't know if they're checking for bites before shooting either, so we need to be extra careful." That made sense... It wasn't like they were trusted anyway. Akechi didn't seem to trust anyone, though. What if they were a nice military? 

God, it was freezing! They were both shirtless and in soaked pants. Akechi stood up from the floor, walking over to the candles and moving them around. "Shit," he whispered. Akira held back from asking what was wrong. Akechi was keeping something from him. He seemed like he was having fun this entire trip, but he maintained such a negative attitude. He had no issue with killing zombies, even ones that had some sympathy like the one at the park. Akechi mentioned being a hitman for the yakuza, but he should still have some kind of... human feelings. If it was just a job back then, why did he enjoy himself now? Was he truly enjoying a kill?

"I can't find a lighter or matches," Akechi said, "It's getting really dark and I'd like to be able to see."

"We have flashlights," Akira suggested, "We should try to get some sleep anyway."

Akechi sighed, "I guess that works." He wandered back over to their bags, flicking on the light on Akira's backpack. It lit up the room, for the most part, but it was still too dark for Akechi's liking. The single light reminded him of Madarame's shed too much. He pushed a few mats together with his foot, trying to make some kind of bed. He didn't want to sleep in wet pants, but... Oh, fuck it. Akechi peeled his pants off, throwing them next to the rest of their clothes and nearly shivering from the breeze. His underwear was still wet, but he'd live with it.

Akira avoided looking at Akechi, but he threw his pants off as well. It was _freezing_ in the shrine. It was probably just the water and the breeze, but it was starting to get into summer, at least. Maybe. It was April 14 last time he checked and it's been weeks so it was May... spring. They still had a month until summer. It was chilly until then... "It would be beneficial to sleep close," Akechi said, "Body heat and all. Just don't get too close."

"Says you." Akira laid down on the mat, stretching his arms and letting out a yawn. How far had they walked anyway? It couldn't be that far, right? Akechi seemed to be relaxed about the trip, so Akira wouldn't stress out about dangers. If he had a map, he would know when to prepare, right? The military base was a concern for Akechi, but Akira preferred to think about the good in people. Not everyone was evil and corrupt, even if there were a lot of them. They could even get some supplies out of them if they were passing through. Akira let himself drift off, hearing Akechi flick off the flashlight. 

Goro shot up. The sound of shattering glass woke him from his slumber. What? He squinted into the darkness, using the slivers of moonlight to aid him. The vase? The vase! Did something bump the door? He glanced down at Kurusu, still sound asleep, and reached for the flashlight. He stood up, trying to listen for anything on the outside. It was pitch black outside. He couldn't see the outside, so he pressed his ear against the window covering. He could hear something padding around outside, but it wasn't making any kind of vocal noise. It sounded like an animal. 

Goro glanced back to Kurusu, holding his breath and climbing on the table. The doors had very small, caged in windows that he could look through. There were no streetlights and that was... unsettling. Hopefully, it wasn't a person. Goro tightened his grip on the flashlight, pushing the button to turn it on. He aimed it through the window to the deck, pressing his face against the glass. What the hell is that? It was a zombie... he was sure of that part, but its arms and legs were twisted at horrifying angles. It crawled on the ground like a spider. It made all the hairs on Goro's spine stand up, sending chills down his back. It was... so fucked. 

It was just the one that he could see, but there were likely more in the area. It jumped at something on the porch and Goro heard some animal scrambling away from it. It lunged a great distance and it sped around terrifyingly quick. What the fuck is that thing?! It was just like an animal, but Jesus fucking hell. 

Honestly, any god that was out there was screwing them. Somehow, someway, the human race had done something to anger it and Goro didn't want to deal with the consequences. Why were there suddenly different mutations of the zombies? It was a sickness and it was so easy and normal, but these _monsters._ Goro's eyes were wide and breathing felt tedious. He took shallow breaths, watching the creature grab the animal. It did not eat the animal, but it just... killed it. It threw the corpse around and carried it away with its mouth.

Was it gone? Goro let out a breath, climbing off the table and carefully stepping around the shattered vase. Kurusu was still, somehow, sound asleep. Goro rubbed his face with his hands. He would not be able to fall back asleep after _that._ What the fuck was that. Goro patted the clothes, feeling them slightly damp, but wearable. Thank god. Goro sat against a wall, leaning his head against it. He could have asked anyone else to come with him, but he wanted Kurusu to be here. There was just something about him and Goro felt like he could... rely on him. Kurusu was just so open to getting close to him and accepting his old career choices. 

Kurusu somehow made him feel something other than disdain. Oh, how far he had fallen. Briefly, Goro thought about his end goal. Before the apocalypse, he had one thing on his mind. Revenge. Everything he did was a means to an end, every friendship he made, every word he spoke... What now? Survival, sure. Kurusu was... motivating, Goro could say, he gave him some kind of mental stimulation and he was an amazing partner on the outside. Partner... Team... Neither of those meant anything to Goro until recently. 

Goro tore his eyes away from Kurusu, staring blankly at the dark. He wanted to just keep going, but that thing outside was making him regret leaving Backstreets. It was supposed to be easy out here, supposed to be those stupid, stumbling, pathetic little zombies... Not a monster. Not mutations.

Kurusu stirred, arm patting around the mat before he slowly sat up. "Akechi...?" 

"I'm here," Goro said, "Get some sleep."

Kurusu rubbed his eyes. "Why are you even awake?"

"Something shattered the vase. I'm surprised you slept through it." Goro had always been a light sleeper. "It was a quadrupedal zombie. Fucking creepy thing."

"What's with the weird zombies?" Kurusu yawned, stretching and popping his back. "They're just getting harder to kill."

"Adapting," Goro put his hand to his chin, "They're sick humans and if the virus is mutating, the zombie will adapt to the changes... maybe. I'm unsettled that there is no information on this."

"It's only been a month." 

That was the issue. Time felt so slow for Goro. He was trapped inside, in the dark, until his concussion healed. Kurusu was out and about with his stupid teammates while Goro was trapped in an uncomfortable futon. Futaba and Ryuji visited him almost every day and talked to him about everything. He considered them friends despite their immaturity. Everything went so slow. He was just sitting there reading the books in Leblanc.

How long would life be like this? It wasn't like Goro wanted to go back to the way things were, but he didn't want to be stuck hiding at night. Ugh, he couldn't decide which fate was worse. It didn't matter either way. He could only walk one path.


	13. Compound

Goro moved the table aside when the sun was out. He hesitated, the images of that monster flashes through his mind. It moved dangerously fast. What are the chances that it was still outside?

"Hey, you okay?" Kurusu's voice was somewhat comforting, but that creature was so... "Akechi?"

"Ah, yes, I'm fine," Goro said, "We should hurry up. The military compound is about a twenty-minute walk and it would be best to get there quickly."

He opened the door of the shrine slowly, gulping and scanning the area while Kurusu closed the door behind them. The air smelled... fresh. It wouldn't be abnormal, but there was typically so much air pollution that it would be noticeable. The sky was much clearer too. 

"It's nice out," Kurusu commented, "Shall we?"

Goro nodded, watching Kurusu walk ahead of him and practically jump down the stairs. He almost smiled at the boy. Kurusu was in a good mood. The military compound should be near Harajuku. Based on the map, the red zone started about a mile out from where the compound would be. The military would be an interesting adversary. Zombies were just meaningless kills, similar to the jobs Goro used to take, but the military were people. They were humans who held grudges and had formal training. Goro had his own experience, but Kurusu was a normal teenage boy. Neither of them was equipped with proper weapons to take them on, nor the training necessary. 

He touched the gun at his waist, briefly wondering how well it would do him in a gunfight. It would not stand a chance against fully automatic machines. Kurusu could barely shoot a gun as well. 

"You're being really quiet. Are you sure you're okay?"

"Truthfully," Akechi muttered, "I'm concerned about the impending encounter."

"I'm sure they'll be helpful," Kurusu smiled, "Just don't mention our goals or anything. You're not very good at acting normal, no offense."

"That's... Do you know who I am?" That was offensive, Goro would admit. He spent his entire life getting people to like him, so why would Kurusu think otherwise?!

"A liar, a bullshitter, an... unhinged person... should I go on?" Ouch. Goro shook his head, pulling his shirt over his holster. Kurusu could see right through him and it pissed him off. Goro prided himself on being a master manipulator. It was out of necessity, of course, but Kurusu shouldn't have been able to see past it. 

"No, you shouldn't," Goro glared, "Make haste and don't waste time."

The walk to the compound was entirely uneventful. There were a few straggling zombies that just added to their kill count, but Goro stopped when the sight of a fence came into view. The entire fence was laced in razor wire, wrapped into each hole and all across the top. It could keep anyone out... or in, based on how it was looked at. Goro crossed his arms, removing his holster and placing his gun behind his back. He hid the leather holster in his bag. He didn't know if Kurusu had his gun on his person, but if he did it wasn't visible.

Good.

"Keep your hands visible and don't make any suspicious movements," Goro hissed, "Don't get us killed."

The men standing guard were well armored with heavy guns. It was expected and they aimed the guns at the two boys when they approached the gate. "Stop right there!"

"We're passing through," Goro explained with a show-stopping smile, "I'm afraid the area is larger than we expected. I hope we aren't going to cause any problems!"

Kurusu blinked at him. Goro was the fakest person he had ever met and seeing him act friendly was... more unsettling than the zombies. The military guard looked over at his buddy, but their faces were not visible from beneath their helmets. 

"Would it be an issue if we could pass through? The thought of having to deal with these monsters makes me rather frightened." He laughed like he would on television. One of the guards retreated further inside the compound and Kurusu saw Goro's smile twitch. He had that look in his eye again. It was arrogant like what he wore last night. The things he said while he looked like that... Kurusu forced the thought out of his head. 

"We'll ask our commander, but you will need a thorough bite check and screening if he agrees."

The guy seemed friendly. Goro knew that Kurusu was content with the agreeable nature of the men. He didn't trust it. They would turn on them if they even offended them in the slightest. It was human nature to betray people.

"Your friend's a bit quiet."

"He's always like that," Goro laughed, "I guess he just gets nervous around people."

"What are your names?"

Names? "My name is Goro Akechi," he smiled, "And this is--"

"Joker." Kurusu butt into the conversation, drawing the attention to himself. What? Code names were definitely not helpful for earning trust, but his name could carry some weight. Goro was used to having his name broadcasted, so perhaps Kurusu was not as keen on it. Joker, huh? Interesting.

The gate began opening, most likely controlled by someone inside. It was quiet and it would not draw the attention of any zombies. They were well equipped, weren't they? Goro wanted a taste of their equipment just to see how powerful he could be. Amazing weapons were nothing if they couldn't be used properly. 

"Just passing through, eh? Don't stay too long. There are a lot of mouths to feed."

Goro nodded at the guard, following him over to an enclosed area. It was a small building and there weren't many people nearby, if at all. The compound itself was decently large. It was likely a place of refuge for survivors willing to live under the military. The inside of the building was barricaded with massive locks. It was a doctor's office. This must be where they check for signs of infection before allowing anyone beyond this point. The man wore a gas mask and a white coat. It was creepy, to say the least. Goro really didn't want to stay long.

Goro listened to the locks click and watched the doctor out of the corner of his eye. Kurusu looked decently relaxed, but he watched the man as well. At least he wasn't stupidly ignorant of the situation. "I was surprised they allowed you in here," the man said, "But I guess you two look harmless enough. I'll be checking for infection signs and bites, just in case you weren't informed."

Harmless? Goro could take on everyone in the compound. They were weaklings hiding behind walls. He needed to be polite, however. Kurusu stripped when ordered and they didn't even give him the courtesy of a curtain. Goro looked away from the sight, gnawing at his bottom lip and tucking his arms behind his back. The comforting weight of his gun was still there. Christ, he didn't want to be naked in front of Kurusu. 

He turned away from the other boy, stripping down to nothing as the doctor inspected him for bites. "You stay armed? Smart move." It was over quickly and Goro couldn't pull his pants up faster. Holy fuck, why was Kurusu staring at him like that?! Goro's face burned and he put the gun back in his waistband. The doctor didn't seem affected by the sight of the gun or his dick, so that was good. Kurusu's face was red as well. Did he really not look away? How crude! Goro tightened his fist. The doctor shoved a thermometer into his mouth before turning to Kurusu. Did he have a proper degree in this? Goro placed it under his tongue, rolling his eyes at the idiot. Was this really necessary? They weren't even bitten.

"Where are you two coming from?"

"We've just been traveling," Goro said, "Originally from Shibuya."

It would be stupid to expose their community. Kurusu sat on one of the cots, opening his mouth for the doctor to take out his thermometer.

"Oh, you're colder than normal," the doctor commented, "make sure you get warmed up before you go out." He took Goro's thermometer out and it was perfectly normal. Of course, it was. This was a complete waste of time. If they were not infected, then they should not be tested. "You two should be good to go. Stay safe on your travels."

"Thank you," Kurusu smiled brightly. It was sickening how genuine he was. Goro waited for him to unlock all the doors, trying to get out of there as fast as humanly possible. Goro hated tight spaces. "He seemed nice."

"I don't care." 

Kurusu rolled his eyes, looking around the compound. Not many people, but loads of military. There were guards posted on every corner, walking around in pairs and shoving anyone who got in their way. Huh... The next gate over was opened for them with haste. "Go straight until you get to the end of the compound," one of them said, "Do not linger."

Maybe they weren't very welcoming... Goro narrowed his eyes at one of the men, continuing onward. They were very organized given the short amount of time. Kurusu wanted to see if people were actually safe here. What if this place was tyrannical? Goro stopped in the middle of the street, grabbing Kurusu and dragging him off the path. "Wha-?"

"Do not speak," Goro whispered. He kept dragging Kurusu until they got to a place far enough away from people and the watchful eyes of the military. "I don't trust that they'll let us out."

"Why? They clearly want us gone." Why did Goro need to be so suspicious of everyone? "We should hurry up before we get in trouble."

"It's a gut feeling," Goro looked around, "There's something off about this place. It's a red zone for a reason."

"Akechi, seriously, we should hurry up before we get into trou-"

"What are you two doing?" Could he get _one_ sentence out without being interrupted?! "You were permitted to walk straight through, not to wander around like you belong here."

"Oh, we were just-" Goro's words were cut off by a hand grabbing him. He struggled against it until someone else ran over to grab Kurusu. "Hey! Don't _touch him!"_ Goro wrenched his arm away, reaching for Kurusu before being dragged away. "We were leaving! Fuck _off!"_

Could they go one trip without getting into trouble? Every single fucking person was a goddamn prick with selfish intentions. People really didn't fucking change and Goro was getting real sick of it. Goro felt the tight grips on his arms as they dragged him and Kurusu down the street like animals. Goro blurted out strings of swears and every single insult he could think of until he felt a gun pressed to his back. It would be unwise to die here and leave Kurusu alone. Ugh, why did he care? They were just dragging Kurusu around and he wasn't even struggling! He shouldn't be roughed up like that! He felt his gun being grabbed and he heard it clatter to the pavement. "No!" No... That was his gun... That was... his protection... 

They were dragged to some cellar and kicked down the stairs like prisoners. "We'll have a trial ready soon." 

A trial?! "This is bullshit!" The doors were slammed shut. Fuck! Goro kicked over one of the barrels, stomping it and yelling at the top of his lungs. It was well lit with candles and there was a table with chairs in the center. It was dingy and dirty and... at least he wasn't tied up. "Are you alright, Kurusu?"

"I told you we should have just kept moving!" Kurusu never yelled at him before. Goro shut his mouth, tightening his jaw to keep it closed. "You just had to ask questions. They weren't going to do this if we just kept walking! They _told_ us not to move around and you _immediately_ walked away from the path!"

Goro could handle being screamed at. He was used to it. Not from Kurusu. Not from him. When Goro spoke, his voice was almost a whisper. "I was just..."

"No, Akechi! You should have just done what they fucking said and we wouldn't be in this situation." Kurusu sat at the table, rubbing his face and tearing his fingers through his hair. He... he was right. Goro looked at the ground, sighing silently. Kurusu was completely right. He just wanted to be right about it yet again and they should have just dealt with what was coming. His lips quivered. Kurusu didn't have to yell at him like that.

They could get out of this. The men said something about a trial, so they should have time to plan, right? Goro looked around the cellar, opting to focus on an escape rather than his feelings. Feelings. What a stupid, ridiculous thing. Kurusu had laid his head down on the table and Goro felt his eyes water. It wasn't fair! He just wanted to prove that he was capable of it...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> short chapter im sorry


	14. The Arena Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IM SO DUMB I ACCIDENTALLY POSTED IT TOO SOON  
> sorry I've been gone for like 2 days lol

Goro's efforts were fruitless. He was trying to squint through the cellar doors and find some kind of window to look out of and break. Kurusu was ultimately useless. The cellar had a firm dirt ground and digging would be impossible. It was stone underneath it all, right? He frowned, pulling his hair back and tying it into a ponytail. A few strands of hair fell around his face and eyes, but his neck felt a lot cooler than before. It was hot... Really fucking hot. Goro was sick of this. He pushed against the door, feeling it slightly give before it was stopped by the lock. Simple. 

He took a deep breath, pushing against it until he could see through the crack. People were walking by, chatting with each other and laughing. They wore normal clothes and Goro couldn't see a single weapon. What kind of compound was this? They were completely reliant on the military for their protection. Goro couldn't imagine depending on someone else. He had learned early on that relying on someone would just leave him disappointed. He spotted a girl walking close to the cellar. She was quiet-looking and walking with a taller man with red hair. He held her tightly by the shoulder and she looked down at the ground while she walked. Her hair was light brown and very fluffy. Maybe...

"Hey!" Goro shouted, pressing his mouth against the gap, "Hey! Can you hear me?!" She glanced down at the cellar, eyes widening at the gap. She glanced towards the man. "Can you help us?!"

The man gripped her tighter, maneuvering her away. He approached and Goro felt some kind of relief wash over him. He just needed some help-- The man slammed his foot against the doors, smashing it into Goro's face and knocking him down the stairs. Motherfucker! Did he seriously just--?! Goro covered his face with his hands, the sting of the wood and the dull ache on the back of his head made his eyes water. Holy fuck! Goro was going to _tear him to shreds!_ Kurusu raised his head from the table, nearly knocking over the chair in order to stand. 

"Holy shit, are you okay?" He cradled Goro's head for a moment, pushing his hands away to try and inspect it. His face was bright red and somewhat gray in the forehead area. It was one of those immediate bruises and Goro's face was twisted into an ugly scowl. Ugly was untrue, but it was just a phrase. "Jesus, Akechi, stop getting your head injured."

"Don't touch me." Goro pushed his hands away, but it was weak. Kurusu pushed chestnut strands from Goro's face, pursing his lips in an unreadable expression. "If you're not going to help me find a way out, then you can rot here." 

A trail of blood slid down Goro's face and he swiped at it when it began to itch. Kurusu smiled at him, pulling Goro closer to him and patting the blood away with his jacket sleeve. Yeah, Goro almost rolled his eyes, that was definitely infected now. "I"m sorry I yelled at you earlier," Kurusu mumbled, "I was pissed and I shouldn't have--"

"Cut the shit, Kurusu, we have things to do." Goro hated the sappy shit. He had no time for whatever pure fantasy Kurusu was dreaming about. Maybe, before this all happened, it could have just been a pleasant daydream or one that crept up in the middle of the night, but now was a different story. Goro was living in survival mode just like he was when he was younger and that left no time for dreaming about shirtless boys with fluffy hair that just... held him like a person--not now Goro!

Kurusu released him, nodding slowly and looking at the wound. His dark eyes felt heavy on Goro, but he needed to stay focused. "Can I call you Goro?"

A pause. "What?" It shouldn't have been such a big deal. They've slept in the same bed and have been together through a lot of really scary shit, but... What was the but? "Sure," Goro said slowly, "May I call you Akira?" He tasted the syllables on his tongue. 

"Goro, then." It should be illegal. Goro's name had never been something he had any inclination to. It was just a name, so why did it sound so _good_ coming out of Ku--Akira's mouth. His face betrayed him and turned a slight shade of pink. The genuine smile on the younger boy's face was almost infuriating. "Do you think you would have let me take you on a date if the world didn't go to hell?"

"I..." Goro was more concerned with his reputation than anything else. Everything he did was with the purpose of pleasing people. His only escape from that was the yakuza and he reveled in every second of that freedom. Akira was everything he didn't want. Probably. To the public, at least. As an underclassman, he offered nothing but sabotage to his reputation, but looking at him right now... He was the same person, wasn't he? "I honestly don't know if I would have, but I doubt you would have ever left me alone either way."

"I walked into the student council room and I told myself that you would be mine."

"Do you have to remind me?" Goro rolled his eyes, slightly leaning into Akira. He hadn't realized how close they were. He was leaning against Akira with the younger boy's arms wrapped around him. He had gone from holding Goro's head to just holding him. It was nice. Goro pretended that he hadn't noticed. If he didn't say anything, he could have it for longer. "They said they would give us a trial, so maybe they'll let us go."

"What else could they do?" Akira really hoped it wasn't that bad. "If anything, we can just fight our way out."

Goro hummed, "Nothing would make me happier than taking their guns. I want to watch them cry."

"What about me? Don't I make you happy?" 

Akira's flirting was so normal, but it still made Goro think. Even after everything, Akira still expressed genuine interest in him. He heard him talk about being a murderer and he accepted it like some kind of part-time job. Either Akira was completely smitten or he couldn't bring himself to care anymore. The world had completely collapsed around them and, for some reason, they still had each other. Well, the others too, but they were safe in Backstreets. "I just thought of something," Goro said, "I know the face of the man who kicked the door in my face. I'm going to find him before we leave and I'm going to feed him to the zombies."

"So vengeful," Akira said, "Are you sure you're stable enough for missions?"

"I always get the job done." 

They sat there for a while, talking about anything and everything, just letting the time pass. The lock hit the door of the cellar before the warm light of lanterns illuminated the stairs. Goro jumped away from Akira, the prospect of getting caught so close scared him more than the impending doom. Two military men in full riot gear walked down the stairs/ They aimed their heavy guns at the two boys and nodded their heads to the stairs. Okay, freedom!

"Watch your step," one of the men said, "It rained a little bit, so it will be slightly slippery."

Goro held back an insult. He wasn't going to make it worse. He kept his hands visible while they walked, the threat of a gun on Akira made him stay in line. The air was humid and the night was hot. Great. Goro didn't want to be sweaty on their trip out. Maybe they could convince them to give them their guns back. "Where are we going?" Goro asked, molding his voice into the friendly detective prince that everyone loved. 

"The test of public opinion," said a guard, "You'll see when we get there."

A trial? A test of public opinion? That was interesting. Goro could see lanterns and torches lighting up a small area in the center of whatever area of the compound they were in. It was the last one before the exit, but he had no idea how many there were off to the side. There was a barbed-wire fence around a large circle, surrounded by people. A lot of people. All these fuckers walked past him yelling like they were nothing. He wanted to make them regret it. The arena-like area they were in was walled with people standing around an elevated platform. It was linked to a box that was left open to the outside.

The guards pushed him and Akira through the door, letting them stand together in the circle. So much noise and light... a beacon for the dead. 

A guard stood between them, grasping each of their arms for the crowd. He waited a few moments before raising up Akira's arm and listening to their yells. He did the same to Goro except there was less noise. Goro was shoved to the ground, dragged out of the circle by other military men. "Hey! Fuck off!" Goro kicked his legs, struggling against their bruising hands. He watched the guard whisper something to Akira, who's eyes widened and darted over to Goro. "Hey! What the fuck are you telling him?!" They ignored his yells and dragged him to the elevated platform. He had a view of the entire circle.

"Shut your mouth and watch." A gun was shoved into his shoulderblade. Goro clamped his mouth shut, clenching his hands around the railing. The guard handed Akira a knife and left the circle. He watched them push the door shut and some men pulled ropes by the box to lift it. Wait. No. No. No. The groans were so fucking loud!

This wasn't real, right? This wasn't something that was actually going to happen, right? Goro whipped his head around to the crowd, watching them stare in interest and ... fucking entertainment. Akira had a fucking knife and they were letting these monstrous fucking _zombies_ inside for him to fight? He was one fucking person! Goro scrambled to get on top of the railing. He needed to help him. Akira couldn't do this _by himself_ _!_ Goro felt his arm being grabbed, pulling him off the railing and holding him against it. "No!" He screamed, wrenching away from the grip. _"Fuck_ _off! I'll fucking kill you! Let me go!"_

"Don't make this harder on yourself," the guard pleaded, "This is the only way."

Goro didn't care if they shot him. He twisted his hands into the guard's vest, pulling him to Goro's face. "Who the fuck ordered this?"

He heard the sound of a gate locking into place, nearly snapping his neck to stare at it. This can't be happening.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so im sorry about this one being short but the next one will be xx long to make up for it.  
> also does this suck? Can i ask that? because i wanna make sure people are enjoying this and I don't want it to feel trashy lol  
> if you have like thoughts you can totes tell me  
> anyway I'm gonna do the next chapter and i hope it'll be up by later tonight


	15. The Arena Part 2

Akira took a deep breath, watching the zombies drag themselves around. He took steps back, giving himself time before they noticed him. The switchblade they gave him was Goro's. It made him feel less bad about losing it. He glanced over to the chestnut hair and the red eyes that bared into him. Akira could not fail. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest and it felt like he couldn't breathe. There were so many of them and he didn't have his bat. The bat had range! Some of the zombies were on all fours, darting around the dirt and bumping into the other zombies. They were incredibly fast. Akira noticed some armored ones, bulky and slow, but they would definitely take longer to kill.

They couldn't give him a fucking gun?! Akira took a deep breath, waiting for one straggler. Just one zombie could wander over and he could... He could hear yelling and it sounded awfully close to Goro's voice, but Akira couldn't tear his eyes away from the quadrupedal zombie that finally noticed him. Akira barely jumped away from its jaws, falling against the ground. His heart pounded when it leaped on him, Akira held its face back with both hands, the knife digging into its eye socket. The spit and blood dripped on his face. Unforgiving jaws snapped at him, slobbering, and Akira struggled to keep it away. He needed to stab it, but... He cursed, mustering all his strength to hold it at bay while he raising his legs to kick it. 

He freed the hand that held the knife, stabbing it into its temple and feeling its weight drop on him. He felt the body bleed on his neck and face and Akira pushed it off him. The other quadrupedal crawled around for a bit. It was just one more. Akira needed to get the fast ones out of the way before attacking the armored one. Okay, okay. "You got this," he whispered to himself, "C'mon Joker. C'mon." 

He pushed himself to his feet, heart screaming from the panic. This was fucked. This was so fucked. This was probably the most fucked up thing he could have ever experienced. Akira heard cheering, drawing the attention of the zombies. Akira took a deep breath, feeling the quiver in his lungs. Akira stepped closer, the weight of his legs felt like molasses. He felt like he was dragging himself against the ocean, approaching the group of zombies with the quadrupedal. They groaned, knocking into each other to approach him. The quadrupedal began galloping towards him and Akira stepped backward as fast as he could before tripping over himself.

Akira let out a yell when it jumped on him. He rolled around the ground, cupping his hand against its mouth and rolling them both over on the ground. He pressed his knee into his throat, the groaning throbbing in his ears. Akira stabbed it through the eyeball, pulling the blade out and going for the temple. Goro was the smartest one about killing. He was Goro! 

The tight grip on his wrist pulled Akira back to reality, snatching him off the dead zombie. He turned, wrenching against the pull and stabbing at its hand. He could feel the blade slicing his own skin between its fingers, but he couldn't stop. He kicked it in the face as hard as he could, sending it into the knees of the next zombie. When did they get so close?! The cheering drove him on, honestly. Akira was never in the limelight, but it felt good.

Akira pressed to his feet, wiping the blood on his arms off with his other hand. It was warm and he was hot. Akira stepped back from the zombies, sweat dripping from his hairline. Akira grit his teeth, digging the blade into the closest zombie, immediately ducking under the reaching grasp of the next zombie. Akira kicked out its knee, cringing when he heard it snap at the unnatural angle. Fuck. He was grabbed by another zombie and he held it away with his forearm. He pressed it into its mouth, kicking it away and stabbing into it, the blood spreading onto his hands. 

Akira rolled away from it when he noticed the armored zombie come at him. That thing could rip in half with its bare hands. He ran as fast as he could away from it, shoving away a stray zombie and killing it as he passed. No stragglers. The zombies had all begun grouping together in a mini horde, making it way harder to kill them. They were most dangerous in numbers. The cheering started ringing in his ears, drowning out the concerned screams of someone he couldn't look at. No, he needed to focus. Goro was the biggest distraction. Honestly, he would have been the better option for this, but the crowd chose him. He had no fucking idea why, but he didn't want Goro in this fucking ring.

Shit, everything hurt. Akira kept putting space between him and the zombies, catching his breath and wiping the sweat from his face, smearing blood on it from his sleeve. Jesus, it was so bloody. God, it hurt. Everything was sore and throbbing and there was a stinging pain in his arm. It burned. He probably hit it against something without noticing. The adrenaline was still pumping through him, keeping him bouncing and moving. "You got this," he whispered, "Gotta get us outta here." 

Akira shook out his limbs, bouncing on his feet a little before charging towards the closest zombie. He ran a bit, ducking down and tackling it to the ground, violently stabbing into its weak skull until the muscles stopped twitching. There were only seven left, not including the behemoth fucking zombie. He was almost done, right? They would let them go? The gate was still open, so they could be waiting for more zombies to come in. Akira's skin burned and the sweat felt more and more noticeable all over his skin. It dripped down his back and mixed with the blood, sticking to his shirt. His skin felt so sensitive and the hairs were standing on end.

Six normal zombies left. Save the worst for last. Those fucking quadrupedals almost got him bit.

Akira felt his hands trembling, the knife wet with blood. His grip on the handle was somewhat loose because of it. No time to think. He took his eyes from the zombies, searching the crowd until he saw Goro. He was halfway over the railing, staring right at Akira wide wide eyes. He was yelling something, but it was drowned out by the other people. Akira wished he could hear his voice. It was soothing to hear his soft voice, coupled with the harsh tone and dry humor. It was just so Goro and he loved it. 

The impact of the ground almost disoriented Akira. The zombie was quick and bit at him desperately. Akira held it back, the chomping jaws drooling all over his throat. "Fuck," he hissed, trying to pry it away from him. The armored guy was slowly truding towards him and he needed to put space between them. He could hear more groaning. Akira stabbed into its head, slamming his foot into its chest and kicking it into the next zombie. He ducked under its swinging arm, punching it as hard as he could with his left hand before driving the switchblade into its temple.

Akira could see more zombies stumbling through the door. They didn't close it? How was he supposed to...?! 

Goro's eyes blew wide. He clenched his jaw, feeling his teeth grind together. The guards had lowered their guard on him and he _needed_ to get him and Akira out of this shit hole. Goro darted his eyes to the two guards on either side of him. They were posted all over the arena with their massive automatic fucking guns. Goro could recognize the one next to him as an M-16, but they likely had varieties of guns. Goro wanted to use it. They were focused on the battle. Goro looked down at the younger boy. He needed to get them out of there. 

Goro slammed himself against the closest military guard, grabbing the gun strapped to his body and maneuvering them to shoot the other guard. He heard him scream and he shot again. The one he was pressed against struggled against him, trying to wrench the gun away from Goro until he shot his foot. He cursed and Goro took his distraction as the chance to shoot him in the stomach. He forced the strap over his head, popping him in the head before draping the gun over his shoulders. He pressed his face against the gun, looking through the scope and aiming it at the armored zombie. 

The gun was heavier than he was used to. From what he knew, it was around seven pounds, so Goro shouldn't be a baby about it. He adjusted his grip, bracing his leg on the railing to steady his body and took the shot. Well, he took several until he watched the armor on its skull explode. Oh, the kickback was stronger than he expected, but it wasn't anything he couldn't handle. Goro Akechi was the best at his job. The gunfire was loud. _Loud._ Goro grit his teeth, focusing more on the attention it would have drawn. The shots echoed in the arena and in the forest, forcing silence in the stunned crowd.

"What? No applause?" Goro hummed to himself. He ran down the ramp to the ground, skidding his shoes into the dirt and flying chest first into it. He aimed and fired at the guards before they even raised their guns. No time to waste. Goro didn't brush the dirt off of him when he stood up, running to the gate that they were pushed through. They didn't _lock_ it?! Are they fucking stupid? Goro hated incompetent people. He pushed the long wooden plant from the doors, kicking the door until it swung open. Honestly, Goro hoped he could get the attention of a horde. He wanted to watch this place bu...--

The torch on the wall flickered. Goro smirked, shooting into the crowd of zombies until Akira turned around. Goro ceased fire when Akira started running over to him. Goro grabbed the torch from the wall, the hot metal it rested on burning his fingers. Goro dropped it against the wooden frame of the arena, grabbing Akira's hand and dragging him away. Bullets whizzed by them, hitting the ground or flying right past them. It was pathetic. Trained military and they couldn't aim a moving target?

"Holy shit, Goro! How did you do that?!"

"Hold on." Goro panted, pulling Akira around a corner and shoving him into a shadowy area. They needed to wait for the guards to give up. The exits would still be blocked and they were heavily outnumbered. "You did good out there," Goro breathed, "I was almost worried you'd get bit."

"Yeah," Akira smiled, "You turn in under five minutes, so I'd be dead by now. Why are we hiding?"

"They're panicking," Goro said, "They'll eventually abandon their posts and we can escape... but I wanna hear them scream first."

Akira blinked at him. Goro was decently fucked up. He could hear distant gunfire from where they ran from, most likely being overrun by the zombies they were drawing in. The more they shot, the more came, but there were already too many to fight without guns. Akira leaned his head against the wall, shutting his eyes and feeling the rush from his fight fade. His entire body hurt. He never needed to exert himself and there was a _searing_ pain on his arm. He grabbed where it hurt, feeling a wet spot beneath his long sleeves. He probably got sliced on something. He applied pressure to it through his sleeve, dropping the knife against the floor. 

"You okay?" Goro asked. The knife was completely stained in red and brown, the intricate designs on the handle completely covered. "Are you injured?"

"I don't know," Akira breathed, "Probably. I don't wanna look at it until we're safe. It's not there if I don't acknowledge it."

"That's not how that works?" Goro heard the gunfire get closer. "We should go. I don't want to get caught up in a horde."

Akira's knees popped when he stood. Goro looked good with a gun like that. He was the most competent in survival from their entire group. The brunette was extremely quick with a gun and accurate, very cut off from his feelings of guilt, _and_ he looked pretty while he did it. The guilt thing was probably the biggest. He knew that none of the others would take a human life and, if they did, they would be ridden with guilt, but Goro had admitted to being a hitman. He said it was only business. It was necessary. he shut himself off from it. It was something to envy. Probably not, but whatever.

Goro led him through the rest of the compound. Akira could hear screaming. He glanced behind them to see the arena up in flames, quadrupedal zombies jumping and ripping people apart. Holy fuck, that could have been him... Military shot at the zombies, distracted from the two boys. Goro was right about that part. "We need a truck," Goro said, "The generators will be far too heavy to carry... Akira! Are you paying attention?!"

"What? Yeah!" What'd he say...? Akira trailed behind Goro like a loyal puppy to the closest gated area. Akira jumped when he heard gunshots, watching the guards drop dead and drape across the barriers. They didn't even attack them! Goro stared at a Jeep Gladiator, the ones with the truck beds or whatever. "Will that work?"

"I'll cover you while you hotwire it." Goro turned his back to the vehicle, aiming the gun towards the fire. Loads of people just running and screaming, flailing around on the ground, and thrashing against zombies pathetically. It was worthless. Goro couldn't imagine becoming one of those things. He was never planning on falling victim to it, but his death would be as a human. He shot at some of the zombies idly, waiting for Akira to finish what he was doing. The fluffy-haired girl was being grabbed by one so Goro took the shot. It was nothing. Just another corpse. He couldn't care less for what happened to her after she scrambled away from the zombies. The dick hole man she was with earlier was trying to keep up with her and...

"Oh, you poor thing," Goro smirked, aiming and taking out one of his knees. The redheaded man collapsed, dragging the girl with him. He was screaming something at her, from what Goro could see from the sight, "Don't _fuck_ with Goro Akechi." He fired another warning shot and the girl's head jerked to his direction. Her eyes were wide. Run. He's obviously an asshole and he's dead weight. Just run. He shot one of the nearby zombies that got too close to her. Be selfish. Run. He shot at the man again and she jumped away from him. She bolted away from him, pink sweater bouncing as she ran. Goro couldn't stop smiling. He watched the man scream and swat at the zombies that grabbed him, taking chunks out of his flesh with their blunt teeth. Goro couldn't decide if he wanted him to turn or die. He should have known better.

"Goro! I'm done!" Goro tore his eyes away, smile dropping. He wanted to watch it! Akira was in the driver's seat and Goro jumped into the jeep. He flicked the safety on his gun, placing it barrel down between his legs and leaning it against the door. Akira had a grimace on his face, eyes focusing on the road in front of them. He jerked his foot on the gas, slamming on the brakes and fumbling with the wheel. Oh, right, he couldn't drive. 

"It's not that fucking hard Akira, just go!"

Goro's head hit the seat when Akira slammed his foot on the gas. He fumbled with getting the headlights on, jerking around the steering wheel when he started swerving. Oh, fuck. Goro was going to die in a car crash before zombies. He was so tired. Goro leaned his head against the window, staring out into the darkness. "The warehouse should be near Shinjuku," he said, "Just let me..."

"Get some sleep Goro."

Akira waited until Goro's breathing got even to roll up his sleeve. It was definitely worse than he expected, but it was... wrong. It was scabbed over, no longer bleeding. It must have been there for a solid thirty minutes or so and Akira could somewhat remember exactly where it came from. God, he was so stupid. Why did he think it was a good idea? So, why didn't anything happen? The teeth marks were deep and right in the center of his forearm. He's seen a girl turn from the same wound in the same spot, but hers was grey and bloody and irritated and rotting and... his was just scabbed over and slightly red. 

Akira rolled his sleeve back down, focusing on the drive. He needed to get the mission done before he died. He needed to tell Goro, but he looked so exhausted and Akira didn't even feel sick at all. His eyes watered, the thought of leaving Goro alone out here was... not an option. It was already long past five minutes and he felt nothing. This could not be real, right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> akira said wild card  
> im tired its like 530 am  
> goodnight gang


	16. The Warehouse

The warehouse by itself was not guarded by any humans, thankfully, and Akira could see a few zombies scattered around beyond the fence. He parked a good distance away from the fence before turning to look at Goro. He placed his hand on Goro's shoulder, gently shaking him awake. The older boy grumbled, swatting his hand away. How cute. "Goro, we're here," Akira said, "We gotta go."

"It's night," Goro mumbled, "Let's just sleep until morning."

He was right. It was late and it would be dangerous to walk around blindly, but... Akira's eyes trailed to his arm. What if it was just a delayed reaction? He didn't want to turn and have Goro stuck in a truck with him all night. Akira still felt fine, he squeezed the wound and cringed. It hurt. Goro fell back asleep quickly and Akira took the chance to roll his sleeve up. It was dark, but he could make out the teeth marks and the dark bruising around each mark. Akira felt around the raised skin, feeling some scabbed areas and some soft spots. He needed to dress it before it got infected, but... 

Akira needed to tell Goro. It would be completely inappropriate to hide the bite from him, but how would he react? Would Goro shoot him? Would he believe him? Akira leaned his chair back, staring at the windshield. How did he even get to this point? How would things even be back home? He would have never met Ryuji or Ann or Goro, so he would likely have found some group to spend his time with. Would he be alone? Rise Kujikawa was still working in her family's store. Maybe Akira would have been with her. She was always so kind to him and slid him some free pastries when nobody was looking. Akira was the sweet, quiet boy all his life and he just became a delinquent so quickly. 

Ryuji and Ann were so quick to befriend him. Ann didn't even blink at the rumors before trusting him enough to be dragged out of the classroom and Ryuji only seemed angry on his behalf. What about the other Shujin students? Did they get out? The newspaper girl and the kid that sat behind him. Were they alive? Dead? Undead? They were right outside Shinjuku and Akira wanted to run by the city to see if there would be anything good. Maybe there would be people there that were friendly. 

Akira counted himself lucky to have people around him that cared so much. He was thankful to still be alive. That bite on his arm was massive. How did he not notice it? Akira flexed his arm, watching the wound move against his muscles. How was he immune? How did the zombie virus even work?!

_Could he turn people into zombies?_

That would be so sick. Akira pictured a mystery adversary and he'd bite them and watch their face when they turned. That probably wasn't possible if he was immune to it, but _man_ that'd be cool. He could pretend like he was and scare enemies by biting them. That's so weird. He shook his head, smiling at the ceiling. Honestly, he was glad to be where he was. He could have had a more peaceful life, but he could always stay at Leblanc and work as a barista. he could pray that the walls stay strong and grow. How long would that take...? Akira shut his eyes, rolling his sleeve down and trying to relax.

Akira blinked when the sun interrupted his sleep. He shielded his eyes with his hand and lolled his head to look at Goro. Where was he? Akira sat up quickly, looking out the windows just to see the brunette sitting on the hood of the truck. He had the gun in his lap and he seemed to be watching the warehouse. Akira looked over to the warehouse, spotting a fair amount of zombies around the outside. They could fortify it a little while they worked on the generators. There were 'No Trespassing' signs all over the fence. Akira had every intention of driving through the fence.

Akira knocked on the windshield, making Goro jump. Cute. He turned his head to glare over his shoulder before sliding off the hood and bounding back inside, hair bouncing. "You scared me," Goro frowned as he opened the door, "This gun is incredibly loud, so I'd rather use the knife."

"There's only one," Akira said. Goro's switchblade had a place in his front pocket. It kinda made him feel special to have something that Goro gave him. Goro held his hand out and Akira took it out. He almost didn't want to give it back, but it was his knife. "What? Did you just expect me to wait here?"

"Nope." Goro hopped in the truck, slamming the door shut. "I expect you, Mr. Kurusu, to drive through that fence and crush some zombies under these big tires. I'll handle the close combat since you must be tired."

"No!" Akira blurted. Goro raised a brow at him. "Um, just let me do the close combat. You stay in the truck and drive."

"Akira, I can handle myself, you know." Akira shook his head, nearly snatching the knife from Goro's hand. Goro blinked at his now empty hand. "What the fuck?"

"Just... Last night was a lot," Akira pursed his lips, "I wanna have the peace of mind."

If looks could kill... Akira started up the truck, waiting for Goro to hold on to something. He slammed his foot on the gas, hearing dirt splatter across the sides of the truck before they broke through the chainlink fence. He braced himself on the steering wheel, quickly slowing to a stop and jumping out of the truck. There were only five around the entrance, but he had no idea how many were within the fenced area. It was a red zone, after all. 

Goro slid into the driver's seat, glaring over at Akira. Whatever. He could probably crush their skulls faster than he could kill them. Goro drove over one zombie, feeling the bounce and crunch of broken bones. He reversed over it, hearing a slightly quiet crunch. It made him cringe. Yeah, no, Akira could handle himself. Goro drove towards the warehouse doors, reversing until the bed was almost pressing against the metal. How would he get the doors open?

Goro slid out of the truck. He tugged at the handles of the garage doors. Locked. He expected it, but that was slightly annoying. Goro didn't have a quiet gun... or a knife. He was practically defenseless. He checked behind him for any zombies before going towards the side door. The door was likely locked as well, but he wanted to see the lock. Akira would probably be able to pick them, like the criminal he is, but Goro had no idea how to. God, he felt useless. There was no deadbolt and based on Goro's knowledge... A lot of doors had very short screws where the door clicked in place. Doors with shorter screws like that were much easier to kick open than doors with longer screws.

He was a detective. He's done this plenty of times. Not in a while though. Goro took a deep breath, backing up a step and kicking the door as hard as he could. As expected, the door swung open. The plate by the door frame clattering to the floor. It made a loud noise, drawing the attention of... Oh, Akira killed them. Good for him.

Fuck! They didn't have their backpacks. That fucking compound took all their shit. He readjusted the M-16 strap until he held the gun in his hands rather than letting it drape against his back. It was pitch fucking black in there. Goro heard Akira's loud ass footsteps next to him and the younger man just darted in like there was no threat. What the fuck is with him? Goro shook his head, following after him. There were tiny slivers of light in the massive space, but it was nothing useful. He could make out towering shelves without boxes. Well, there were a few boxes, but not many. It was a military warehouse, so maybe there were good supplies inside. 

"I think we should secure this," Goro thought aloud, "We can hole up for a day or two and relax before traveling back to Backstreets."

"Would they be okay if we added two days?"

"They aren't helpless, Akira, we've been gone for three days." It was almost embarrassing that a thirty-minute drive to Shinjuku turned into a three-day trip. How did that even happen? They walked and they made a lot of stops and turns. Honestly, they were just tired. Goro wanted to rest his exhausted legs and Akira just got out of an arena. They needed to secure the building before they could sit down. "I'm tired."

"Let's just check the outside doors," Akira said, "The place is open enough to have no hiding spots."

That could be an issue. If any military came by to check, they wouldn't have anywhere to hide. Did they check on this place? There weren't enough zombies for it to be considered a red zone. Goro didn't even have the fucking map to check. He had nothing. Could they get a fucking flashlight?! 

"Hey, Goro."

"What?" Goro snapped, the irritation of the darkness leaking into his voice. Akira paused in front of him, looking down slightly.

"Uh, nothing," Akira mumbled, "I'll tell you when we get secured."

Okay? Goro saw the silhouette of a table, pushing Akira out of the way to get to it. He saw the sunlight reflect on something. He patted around the table until he felt the comforting cylinder of a flashlight. Thank fucking God. Goro turned it on, and off, and back on until the light turned on. He hit it against his palm until it stopped flickering before aiming the beam at Akira. He blinked at the sudden glare, holding his hand in front of the light. "Hey, watch where you're pointing that!"

Goro almost laughed at him. It was almost unfair how nice Akira looked under the harsh light. They checked the exterior doors and managed to push some stuff in front of them. Honestly, there wasn't much of a threat in the warehouse itself. They went up the metal stairs, their footsteps echoing through the darkness. There was no reaction. Goro brushed against Akira's arm as he walked ahead, noticing him jump from the corner of his eye. "Are you alright?" Goro asked, turning around, "You've been acting strange."

"You just jump scared me," Akira laughed, " Don't worry about me, Goro."

"Are you injured?"

Akira paused. Should he lie about it? The silence was enough for Goro and the detective snatched his right arm. He tried to jerk his arm away, his protests falling on deaf ears as Goro forced his sleeve up past the wound. Akira froze. He hadn't seen it in the light yet, but it looked like a normal flesh wound. His skin was red and irritated, dried blood smeared over his skin, and scabs forming over each tooth mark. It was completely scabbed over at this point. Goro stared at it, unmoving. "It... It happened at the Arena... I didn't notice it until we were driving."

"How...?" Goro took a shaky breath. "This isn't possible, Akira..." Goro looked up at him, desperation obvious in his eyes. Did they glisten with... tears? Goro never cried. "You were bitten."

"I was," Akira admitted. Agreeing with Goro felt wrong, the words heavy on his tongue like they didn't belong there. 

Goro could hear his heart in his ears, his breath coming out shallow and fast. "Do you feel sick?" He prayed Akira said no.

"I've felt fine... other than the pain, of course, but other than that it's just like a cut." Akira almost jumped when Goro grazed his fingers over the bite. He was being so gentle and it sorta tickled. "We can't tell anyone."

"If anyone sees this, they'll shoot you on sight." Goro's mouth was pressed in a thin line. "We don't have any supplies right now, but we need to cover it in bandages or something."

Goro lowered Akira's hand, pulling his sleeve back down until the bite was concealed. They still needed to find the generators. Goro felt Akira push some of his hair out of his face, pulling him closer and wrapping his arms around him. Goro was stiff, staring over Akira's shoulder, inhaling the smell of him. It was kinda gross. From staying in Akira's room for three weeks, he knew what he smelled like, but this sewer, sweaty, and bloody shit he breathed in made him want to gag. He chose to breathe through his mouth, letting his arms fall around Akira's torso.

It felt nice to be held. He felt safe. It was such a strange feeling in Goro's chest, feeling hands rubbing his back and breath on his neck. Goro closed his eyes, letting the feeling wash over him. Honestly, he was glad that Akira was immune. If anything ever happened to him, Goro would never forgive himself. Was that weird? He never really cared about whether or not someone was alive and successful, but Akira was far too generous and selfless to be treated like a random politician. "Thank you, Akira," Goro whispered, holding on tighter.

"For what?"

"Just being you."


	17. Quiet

Akira sat on the ground of one of the carpeted offices, wrapping toilet paper around his arm and laying masking tape over it. It wasn't bandages, but it was better than nothing. If anyone saw the bite, they wouldn't see anything other than the marks. Goro had gone off to find the generators and Akira opted to stay behind and dress his wound. It hurt a lot more now that his adrenaline faded, but he still felt aware. There was no hunger growling in his stomach for something that wasn't food. He stared at his work, adding an extra layer to make sure it stuck to his skin. 

Goro would have had to put him down. From what Akira could tell, Goro didn't hate him anymore, and having Goro blow his brains out would probably scar him. Honestly, Akira wasn't sure. He just wanted to talk to someone about it. Futaba was honestly the one he trusted the most. She was his self-acclaimed sister and it took a while for her to come out of her room. Honestly, Akira was surprised that Sojiro even allowed him in his house. Akira leaned his head against the wall, sighing. He wanted to go home. Akira felt the tape with his fingers, drawing his eyes to it. Immunity.

Immunity was not something Akira would have ever considered. Genuinely. Was there a possibility of a cure? Even if someone could make a cure out of him, then what? So many people are dead and so many people have become killers. The military should not have even considered making a zombie fighting arena. Humanity within humans should not have disappeared so quickly. Goro was already... a killer. He killed people before the virus. He already had questionable morals, but everyone else? How would anyone even recover from what's happening?

He heard a knock on the wall and he drew his eyes to Goro. "The generators are in some boxes downstairs," Goro said, "If you want, we can head back to Backstreets now. We'd be back in thirty minutes."

Akira really wanted to go home. He wanted to sleep in his own bed, curl up next to Morgana, and hang out with his friends. "I'm going to see Takemi when we get back. She might learn something from... my arm." She wouldn't kill her guinea pig. Goro nodded, looking away from Akira. He had a weird look on his face. "You okay?"

"Oh, I'm okay," Goro smiled. Akira hated that picture-perfect smile of his. It was so fake and he was so obviously lying. Akira was too tired to push him, the fatigue making his limbs feel like jelly. "I can drive us back. I'm sure you need the rest." Akira saw the bags under his eyes. They slept so little the past few days and he was just so done with this stupid mission. 

Akira followed Goro down the stairs, following the beam of the flashlight. "I was wondering why this is a red zone, so I went and checked the back. There are tons of zombies over there, but they're meaningless." Goro hummed as they got to the big, heavy boxes. "I pushed them over here so we wouldn't need to move them far."

Goro set the flashlight on the ground, aiming it towards the garage door. It was locked with a big silver lock and Akira already knew what Goro was going to ask. He knelt down, feeling in his pocket for the pick. He had sewn in an extra interior pocket in all of his pants just for his lockpicks and it was practically impossible for it to be felt or noticed. Akira was glad to be a delinquent. The lock popped open and the hardest part was adjusting it until he could move it. He grabbed the handle of the garage door, adjusting himself to a squat to push it up.

"Shit," Akira groaned. The weight was more than he expected. Goro squatted down next to him, smirking at him and making it so much easier. Light flooded into the warehouse and Akira squinted. Jesus Christ. It was still bright outside, the morning smell gone and replaced with the afternoon heat. Honestly, the place was pretty. It was just outside of Shinjuku and there were large trees surrounding the area. The forest was so green and it genuinely smelled fresh outside. Goro released the back of the truck. "This is gonna suck."

"Speak for yourself," Goro hummed, "I guess I'm just better than you."

Akira rolled his eyes, moving to one side of the first box. It was tricky to get his fingers under it, but lifting it with Goro was easy enough. Rinse and repeat. Honestly, Goro had a lot more physical strength than he did. "You lift?"

"No?" Goro shut the back. "I frequently cycled and went bouldering. It helped my physical strength tremendously."

"Is there anything you don't do?" It seemed like Goro just had every skill imaginable. He had amazing skills with guns, stealth, strength, stamina... What else?

Goro shrugged, a sinister smile peeling onto his face. "Why don't you find out~" Goro slithered past him, running his hands over Akira. He just jumped into the truck like nothing happened. Akira pressed his hands to his burning cheeks, shaking his filthy thoughts out of his head. Goro was just _so_ attractive for no reason and just thinking about having him underneath... Ugh. Akira wanted to shut him up in so many ways, but his voice was just so irresistible. He would win either way. 

Akira stared out the window as Goro drove. They passed zombies, stumbling through the bushes and roads. It reminded Akira of people. In reality, they were still people, right? Was it wrong to hope that, somehow, they could be saved? Akira remembered arriving in Tokyo. He was so fascinated by the sheer amount of people. Inaba was so empty, especially after the string of murders. On the train ride to Tokyo, Akira was so preoccupied with thinking about how he got there. He was somewhat grateful to be in Tokyo. He never would have met Ann and Ryuji and... Goro.

Was it wrong to be glad for an apocalypse? Akira finally felt free. There was no leash tightening around his neck at every mistake, no watchful eyes, or resentful rumors. He could spend time with people who paid more attention to his skills than his history. Akira glanced over to Goro. Did he agree? Goro had been a lot more open with him on this trip. The way he looked at Akira in the Shrine was wildly different from the calm, cool, and collected Detective Prince that Goor branded himself as. He trusted Akira enough to tell him about his time as a hitman and he was an amazing team member.

Goro's suggestion of running away together echoed in the back of Akira's mind. The thought of running around Japan, maybe even other countries, with just Goro and spend all their time together was... appealing. The others were too important to Akira for him to just leave it all behind. Maybe he could convince Goro to trust them. It was nice to be relied on for once, but... Akira shook his head, eyes drifting down to his sleeve. What would the others think? 

"Are you doing alright?" Goro asked, barely glancing over, "You're surprisingly quiet."

"What's everyone going to think when they see my arm?" Akira mumbled, "I don't want the others to be scared. Or even... see me as some kind of savior."

Goro rolled his eyes. "We agreed not to tell them, did we not? You are under no obligation to tell anyone about it." He really didn't understand why Akira wanted to tell everyone everything. "You're the only one I've told about my old job. I didn't have to do that. Neither do you."

He was right. Akira felt bad hiding things. Takemi wouldn't judge him. She would definitely offer her help for research. At least he could trust Goro. Nobody was as ruthless and wired into survival like Goro was. It was almost concerning, but it was efficient. "We're a great team, huh?" Akira smirked, "It's like we're made for each other."

"Shut up." 

Akira laughed, leaning further back into his seat. "You can't deny that there's something special between us. We're too good together for it to be a coincidence." Goro shook his head, but he didn't hide the small smile on his face. Yeah, traveling with him wouldn't be that bad. "How long did it take for you to get so good with your gun and fighting?"

"I started working for the Yakuza when I was fifteen," Goro said, "They were such assholes, but there was this one guy I liked. He was really into guns and he offered to show me the ropes. He ended up knowing more than just the ropes and it made me what I am today." 

Akira nodded, "Where did you get this knife?"

It was expensive-looking and Akira was surprised they gave it back to him. He was thankful that he didn't lose Goro's knife, but he wanted to know where it was from. Was it a gift or did he buy it? "The guy gave it to me, said it'd give me luck. You probably need it more than I do anyway."

Okay, rude?

They got back to Backstreets quickly. The gate was looking a lot better since they left and Makoto was standing on top of it this time. She smiled down at the two boys, waving to the guys down below to open the gate. The power was barely holding on and having generators would definitely put them back on track. She smiled down at Goro when he got out of the truck, jumping down the ladder until her feet touched the ground. "Goro!" She smiled, placing her hands on her hips. "How was the trip? you two were gone for so long."

"It was only a few days?" Her eyes widened when she saw his face. Goro's eyes had heavy bags under them and there were dark splatters of something all over his face. Was that blood? His shirt was stained brown and it was torn in various places. 

"What the hell happened to you?" Makoto looked over at Akira. He didn't look much better. He had dirt and blood smeared all over his face and neck, his pants were covered in blood, and there were obvious rips in his jacket. "Shinjuku is literally thirty minutes away, what happened?!"

Goro shrugged, "We walked." 

Akira took Makoto's distraction as an opportunity to sneak towards the Clinic. He pressed his back against the wall as he rounded the corner and nearly darted up the steps. It was so close to the entrance. He spotted Takemi behind the desk, idly checking something on her clipboard before she noticed Akira standing in front of her. "Oh, you've returned," she said, "Did you get injured?"

"Sorta..." Akira looked around the empty lobby. "Something happened and I really need your help."

Takemi raised a brow. "Please head to the exam room."

Akira spent a lot of time in Dr. Tae Takemi's examination room. He sat on the cot, watching Takemi take a seat at her desk. "So," she crossed her leg over the other, "What seems to be the problem?"

"So, like two days ago, Goro and I got caught up, and... this happened." Akira rolled up his sleeve, revealing the crudely wrapped wound. Takemi reached for a pair of scissors, sliding it against the tape and let it peel off from the toilet paper. The scissors clattered to the floor when the wound was revealed. Akira watched her eyes widen. "It scabbed up before we even got away and... I feel completely fine."

Takemi didn't say anything, running her finger against the scabs. "You were bitten," she whispered, "And you're fine? I'll need to take your temperature and run some tests to see what's going on."

Akira watched her scrape pieces of the scab off his arm and into a sterile tray, wincing at the sting of alcohol wipes. She was mumbling something about her research as she bandaged and wrapped gauze around his arm. "It's pretty healed already, but I doubt you want to walk around with this on your arm. Does anyone else know?"

"Goro knows."

"Akechi-kun? I didn't know you two were that close," she hummed, "How was traveling with him? He's been bed-bound since you all got here."

"He's really good at what he does." How could he even describe it without sounding suspicious? "Goro's accuracy is unmatched."

"Well, I'm glad you're both safe, but you could have died. I don't care if you're immune, you need to be more careful. How did you even get that thing?" Takemi started writing something on her clipboard, leaning back into her chair. "And don't lie to me either."

Akira rubbed the back of his neck. "We got imprisoned in a military compound and they made me fight in a makeshift zombie arena and I didn't even notice until we left." Takemi stared at him, her pen dangling loosely between her fingers. "Anyway! I should go!" Akira stood up, slapping his knees and offering her a grin.

"Kuru-"

Akira left before she could scold him.


	18. Comfort of Confidants

Akira found Ryuji, Yusuke, and Goro at the bathhouse. "Ah, Akira," Yusuke said, "Are you going to be joining us?" 

He nodded, walking up to one of the lockers and stripping off his jacket. Ryuji wasted no time jumping into the steaming water, splashing some on his once dry towel. Akira draped his filthy shirt on the bench, staring down at his bandaged arm. Yusuke folded his towel on the bench as well, wiping some dark hair from his eyes. His eyes followed Goro as he stepped into the bath. Big booty...

"Are you injured?" Yusuke's voice made Akira jump. Yusuke tilted his head, staring down at the bandages. 

"Uh, not really," Akira blinked, "I got a nasty scratch, but it's practically healed up already." He felt bad about lying. Akira hated lying to people, but Goro said he didn't need to be honest. How did Goro maintain being a liar so easily? Did he ever feel bad? 

"Well, I'm glad you made it back."

Akira was the last one to sink into the bath. The hot water stung, but it felt so good on his back. He sunk down until his nose was barely above the water, inhaling the steam and hoping that the bandages were waterproof. Goro had disappeared underwater for a few seconds before emerging with his hair completely pushed back. He looked adorable with his entire face exposed. He had a widow's peak as well and the chestnut strands looked so much darker.

"This feels soooo good," Ryuji groaned, "You guys gotta tell us about your trip. Anything weird happen?"

"We encountered some special zombies. They were armored and some adapted to running on all fours. It seems like they're mutating." Goro stretched, popping his back against the edge of the bath. "I feel like I need to go back out there."

"Why?" Akira raised from the water, the cold air hitting the bottom half of his face. They _just_ got back! "I don't think we forgot anything, right?"

Goro pressed his lips into a thin line. He grabbed one of the shampoo bottles from the shelf, squeezing some sweet-smelling stuff on his hand. "There was a girl..." He spread it into his hair, scratching out all the dirt. "I don't know why but... I feel like I should have helped her."

"What girl?" Yusuke asked, accepting the shampoo from Goro. "Did you encounter people?"

"A military compound," Goro said, "There was a girl there and she just had this look in her eye. It's hard to explain... There was something about her and I should have done something."

Akira had no idea what he was talking about. "She's prolly fine," Ryuji shrugged, "People gotta survive out there, right? I'm just glad to be here." 

The blonde was right. Being in Backstreets meant shelter from the outside world and Akira was prepared to defend it to the end. Goro had sunk deeper into the water, suds falling from his hair, and floating in the water. So far, everything seemed okay. They were safe behind some walls and everyone Akira cared about was alive. What about Ann and Makoto and Ryuji? They had family somewhere out there. Sae Niijima was in the U.S.! How would Makoto even get there? "Is there anything around here we can do?" Akira asked, grabbing some soap to wash his hair.

"I overhead Boss talking to an elderly couple about a farm," Yusuke said, "Us, as young people, may be sent out to collect the necessary supplies. Sustainability is the hardest part."

"Ah, that'd be effin' important!" 

Goro stared at the water, the voices drowning out by the water. Was there anyone alive out there? What if... What if _he_ was still alive? Goro clenched his fists under the water. He needed to find out. If there was even the slightest chance that Masayoshi Shido was alive out there, he would kill him. He didn't need anyone to back him up, but traveling alone would be dangerous. Akira was an asset and he could trust him not to tell people about his issues. That was it. Goro made eye contact with him, warmth growing from his chest. Fondness? That would be a problem, wouldn't it? 

Goro dried himself off away from the other boys. He didn't really feel like talking to them. It felt amazing to be clean again and his hair was already feeling soft. Goro frowned at his towel, draping it over the bench before... Did he grab clothes? Wait. He looked around. He did, right? Goro's face turned red and he leaned his back against the lockers. He did not. He was so excited to get in the bath that all he did was grab one of the complimentary towels. "Fuck," he muttered, looking over to Akira. The others were dressed, but Akira was not. "Did you forget too?" Goro called, turning to face him.

Akira nodded slowly. He grinned over to Ryuji, batting his eyes. "Will you grab us clothes from my room~?" Akira put on some sickly sweet voice and Ryuji just blinked at him. 

"Dude, stop with that weird shit," he mumbled, "C'mon Yus, let's go grab these idiots some clothes."

Yus? Goro watched the two leave, wrapping the towel around his waist. He went to sit on the bench next to Akira, focusing on the bandaged arm. What a close call... He should have killed them. Vaguely, he hoped that they were all torn apart by zombies. It would be a death they deserved. Honestly, he didn't have any idea for who they would have been answering to anyway.

"Hey," Akira said softly, "Don't look so concerned." Akira sat next to Goro, placing a hand on his shoulder and squeezing. "I'm fine, aren't I?"

Goro looked down at the floor. "Don't think that I care," he snapped, "I just don't want to lose my partner--Wait, that's not what I meant!"

Akira laughed, a melodic sound that made Goro relax a little. He blinked at him. Akira didn't smile so wide very often. "I know what you meant, Goro." He placed his hand on the top of Goro's head, rubbing it a little before retracting. Oh... That was pleasant... Goro clenched his jaw, feeling a pump in his chest. "I don't wanna lose you either. But we have each other's back, don't we? We're a team."

A team... Goro never liked the idea of teams. He chose to work alone, even when he was a child. "Yeah," Goro mumbled, a small smile creeping on his face, "A team." 

That was definitely new. Why did Akira insist on touching him so much anyway? Especially his hair. It made his face so warm. "I want my room back, by the way," Akira said, "We can share though, I don't mind."

"I suppose I can accept that." The bed was nowhere near comfortable. Goro had an expensive bed in his apartment, so the mattress on crates just sucked. There had been a bunch of pillows on it, despite the small size, and Goro wondered if it was to cushion the wall. After sleeping on the floor and in a truck for the past few days, that bed was something he could look forward to. "Once I get my own clothes, I'll return whatever Ryuji grabs for me."

"You can keep it. Think of it as a thank you for the knife." 

After a few more minutes of chatting, Ryuji and Yusuke returned with clothes. Goro received some black pants and a bright red hoodie with golden stars on it. That was... kind of ugly...

Along with it was a pair of plain black underwear. He really didn’t know how to feel about wearing Akira’s underwear. Wasn’t that strange? Goro said nothing, keeping his head down and going back to the other side of the lockers. 

It was interesting that the boys were so comfortable around each other. He could see Akira getting dressed right in front of them! Sure, they were all just in a bath together, but that was different! Right?

Goro slipped the clothes on, finding some socks folded between the pants. At least his shoes were dry. The hoodie itself was very soft on the inside, but the colors were way too bright for his eyes. Akira’s clothes fit him well, given that they had the same height and build. Akira had really good muscles though. He was broader, but Goro had him outdone in leg muscle. 

The pants, as a result, were extremely tight around his thighs and ass. Goro could feel the pull as he walked. “Are you decent?” He asked before turning the last corner. 

“Of course.” Goro turned to look at him. Akira was in a black shirt and black pants, easily looking amazing in it. How long would that last? Clothing wouldn’t be fashionable as time passed. He watched him throw on a hoodie, covering his bandages effectively. “It’s starting to get cold out.”

“Don’t be dramatic, it’s barely fall,” Goro rolled his eyes, “Let’s go to Leblanc. I need to meet with Boss.”

The adults of Backstreets were open to hearing the opinions of teenagers, but Sojiro was the only one who trusted them enough to spill the secrets. Goro needed something to do outside of the approval of the others. Maybe he needed to stop with risky jobs. He could settle down, live life with Akira and the others. 

Goro really didn’t want to get stuck doing nothing forever. “You look spaced out,” Ryuji said, “Are you good?”

“It could be the stress of being attacked outside,” Kitagawa said, “Akechi-san seems like the kind of person who would enjoy the adrenaline, though.”

“Um, alright,” Goro frowned, “I was simply thinking about the future. I’d rather not live it within walls, honestly.”

“That is a beautiful sentiment. Freedom should not be a dream.” Jesus. Kitagawa has the best ideas, but he said them in such a strange way. Maybe it was his voice. “Someday, everything will have a sense of normalcy once again.”

Goro didn’t miss the phrasing. Normal from before probably won’t come back, but things would begin to seem normal. People would have kids, for whatever reason, and those kids would only know this new world. A new generation of desensitized killers who didn’t know anything except for survival. 

It was convenient that Leblanc was right across from the bathhouse. Goro felt a tug on the sleeve before he heard Akira speak. “We’ll catch up with you guys.”

Akira nearly dragged home to the laundromat right outside the bathhouse. He could see the other two continue on without asking questions. Honestly, not having people in their business was pleasant. No matter. Goro turned to face Akira before being pushed into the washing machine.

“Wha-“

Akira shushed him, wrapping his arms around Goro. What the fuck? Akira took a deep breath when Goro returned the hug. Where was this coming from? Goro felt the urge to run away, but this was just Akira. “Goro, I really...”

Akira grew quiet. He slowly raised his face from Goro’s shoulder, remaining close enough for their breath to mingle. “Akira...?”

“I don’t know,” Akira whispered, “Being out there with you was... great. It was so dangerous, but we had each other, and I don’t ever want that to change.”

Goro could feel Akira’s grip tighten around his waist. He let his arms dangle over his shoulders. Akira’s eyes kept darting all over Goro’s face and their surroundings. Unsure. Hesitant. “I feel the same,” Goro said, “About everything.” Everything... Goro steeled himself, letting his eyes flutter shut. They could just have this, right? 

He barely felt the graze of Akira’s lips. It was barely a brush. Barely even happening—

“Akira!”

Akira jumped away from Goro with light speed, knocking straight into a shelf. One of the detergent bottles clattered from the top and bonked him on the top of the head. 

“Am... I interrupting something?” Futaba stood at the doorway, her hands clasped over her mouth. Goro blinked at her. Fuck. 

“Uh, kinda!” He heard Akira say before more shuffling. Akira struggled with the shelf, nearly knocking over the powdered detergent. “Jesus, ow!” 

“Um, Inari and Ryuji said I could find you guys here... I didn’t think I’d walk in on some coitus.” Goro’s face turned red and he could hear Akira trying to splutter out a defense. 

“F-Futaba! Stop using words you found on thesaurus!” Akira rubbed his head, giving up on getting back up. He settled for sitting on the ground. “And we weren’t... doing _that!”_ He was just as red Goro. That was comforting, at least. 

“Sure, sure,” she waved her hand around, “Anyway, I’ve missed you guys! You’ve gotta tell me about the trip!” Akira glanced down at his arm for a split second. Futaba furrowed her brows, turning her attention completely to him. “What’re you looking at your arm for?”

“Oh, I got a really deep scratch,” Akira shrugged, “Takemi bandaged it up for me so I’m all good.”

“You just lied to me. You know how I feel about being lied to, Akira Kurusu.” Oh, great. Goro almost forgot how observant the ginger girl was. She was just as observant as Goro, just as smart, except her genius was focused on tech and his was on generalized things for him to prove himself. 

Goro frowned, looking at Akira. He looked panicked. He was not the best liar, but it was good enough for every other idiot he knew. “Akira’s immune.” He glared at Goro with wide eyes. 

“What?!”

“Akira was bitten when we were held hostage by a military compound and he was forced to fight in a zombie ring for our freedom.”

“He was _what_ while you guys were _what?!”_ Futaba’s fists were wound at her sides. “Holy shit you guys left for a _week_ and that happens?! Who knows?!” 

“Just you and Takemi,” Akira said, voice quiet, “Nobody else.”

Futaba nodded, readjusting her jacket and looking at the two of them. “You two need to be careful out there. I’m serious. I can’t lose you guys.” Her voice was firm, but Goro could tell she was forcing it. 

Futaba crushed Akira in a hug when he managed to stand up. Akira just patted her head until she released him. “We’ll be okay, I promise,” Akira said, “But seriously, don’t barge in like that. Please.”

She finally released him, raising a judgmental eyebrow. “Fine, but the attic doesn’t have a door and I’m not knocking on the stairs. And _you_ don’t try to turn Akira into a lying little weasel!”

Goro held his hands up.


	19. Indulgence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Goro and Ryuji hang out. Akira's a cuddly person.

A week had gone by since their almost-kinda-sorta kiss at the laundromat. Well, their lips touched, so it counted. Goro found himself alone at Leblanc, staring down at his coffee with every possible scenario running through his mind. Akira offered his help with perimeter and has been kept busy every single day. Did he regret it? Was it simply just a spur of the moment? Goro frowned, gulping down the coffee before turning his attention to Sojiro.

"Do you have any jobs for me?" Damn all of it. Goro never bothered himself with school girl crushes or romances and he wasn't going to start pining for the attention of Akira Kurusu. He was perfectly capable of being left out. Once again. 

"Actually, yeah," Sojiro said, "Tae needs a few things from the pharmacy on Central Street. If you ask her, she can give you a list."

"Great." Goro swung his legs from the bar, taking purposeful steps to the door. He could enlist Ryuji to go with him this time and Akira would finally see that he doesn't need him. Honestly, talking about their kiss would make him feel better about everything. Would anything become of it or was it just a one-time thing? Would it have been anything more if Futabab hadn't burst in at the wrong time? Goro shook his head, turning the corner for the clinic.

Akira? He was leaning against the wall talking to Makoto and Ann, smiling, waving his hand around. He was back? He looked completely fine. The three of them hadn't noticed him, so Goro quickly ducked back around the corner. Eavesdropping was wrong. Probably. He could just say that he was gathering intel on their current situation. That current situation being their relationship. Did anyone know about it? Why was Goro being so insecure? Jesus fucking Christ.

"Again, I can't thank you enough for helping with the perimeter," he heard Makoto say, "Setting up another layer of the fence is extremely comforting. Especially with what's been going on."

What was she talking about? Nobody told Goro anything about that. "Have you heard anything from Akechi? I haven't been able to catch him." Ann wasn't really someone he saw a lot, but she was friendly and they got along. That was probably enough for her anyway. He somehow had more in common with Ryuji than he did with Ann despite their similar temperament. Perceived, anyway. 

"Uh, no, I haven't gone back yet." Yeah, he knows. Goro peeked back over at the group. None of them would notice him. Goro pressed his back against the wall, slipping up the stairs of the clinic. He wasn't avoiding them, but... Okay, maybe he just didn't want to talk to anyone. 

Goro pulled open the door, hearing the quiet jingle of the bell. Dr. Tae Takemi was someone he's seen around Backstreets and with Akria, but he never really talked to her. She looked up at Goro, watching him approach her counter. "What can I do for you today?"

"Sojiro told me you needed a few things from Central Street," Goro said with a smile. He couldn't help but keep up that polite exterior even around people he should trust. He didn't trust their skills like he did Akira. The doctor nodded, moving some papers around and grabbing a folded list from the pile.

"These things I need, but try to grab some extras even if it's not on there." Her voice was calm and she seemed relaxed. She was a very beautiful lady, likely dedicated to her work. "You look tired, is everything alright, Akechi-kun?"

"I'm fine," Goro said, "I just need to get out there, you know?"

"You and Akira-kun have only been back for a week. It's good to take a break, especially after what happened." Oh, right. Goro almost forgot about that. "I haven't gotten the chance to examine him thoroughly, so if you see him, can you ask him to come by soon?"

"Sure." He wasn't conversational. Everyone here seemed so friendly and open to talking, but Goro wasn't. He hated pleasantries and he was honestly just trying to get out there and get some red on his hands. Ugh, he wanted to get out of there. 

Takemi said nothing else and Goro took his leave. He could say that he liked her. She didn't really try to force him into a conversation and she got straight to the point with only one question. Akira had a way with people, it seemed. He's only been in Tokyo for about a month and a half and he's already captured the hearts of the people around him. Goro could pretend like he wasn't in that mix. Out of all the things he didn't want to be, being on the same level as Akira's other confidants was pretty high on that list. Besides being related to Masayoshi Shido, of course. Nothing could top that.

"Goro!" What now? Ryuji jogged up to him, slapping a harsh hand on his shoulder. "Whatcha up to?"

"I was about to go out for a little, actually," Goro said, "Did you need something?"

"Let's get some curry. I'm effin' starving and I'm literally so tired from yesterday." 

"What happened yesterday?" Did everyone find joy in keeping Goro out of the loop? Ryuji was his friend, even if that was a bit strange, he was the closest to him. Maybe except for Futaba. It was strange. He's known Ryuji since middle school and he's always avoided talking to him because of his rambunctious and delinquent nature. Perhaps, he could thank the apocalypse for pushing them together. Akira, too. It was... strange. He had an intense feeling for Akira, but he couldn't quite place his finger on it. They barely kissed in the laundromat. 

"Ann dragged my ass around to go check on the fences. Akira was doing them with Makoto, I think. He seemed like he was rushin' it if you'll believe that." Calm, cool, collected, meticulous Akira... rushing things? Sure. Ryuji held open the door for Goro before plopping down in the center booth. "Two curries please, thanks!"

Goro sat across from Ryuji, watching the boy tap his fingers against the table. He kept looking around the cafe and Goro could feel his non-injured leg bouncing up and down. "If you have something to say, just say it." He couldn't help the snippy tone that came out of him. It was so hard to keep a polite persona, but these people were his friends. It was fine, right?

"Did somethin' happen between you and Akira?" Ryuji had leaned in, dropping his voice to a whisper so that Sojiro wouldn't hear it. Goro felt his face warm up and he opened his mouth to say something. "Don't lie to me either."

"Nothing happened, per se..." Goro looked down at the table. It had some scratches on the surface. It was expected from an old place like this. "We... Akira... he kind of... we technically kissed? In the laundromat."

"Technically? Dude, you either did or you didn't."

"We did."

Ryuji nodded slowly, leaning back against the seat. He had some stupid grin on his face. "So why ain't you canoodling with him yet? Y'know, smangin'."

Goro blinked at him. What the _fuck_ is this man saying? "I'm not going to pretend that I understand you," he frowned, "But we're just friends. Plain and simple."

"Friends don't kiss, Goro Akechi. They don't cuddle in bed at night and they don't stare at each other. For a genius, you're actually pretty stupid." God, was he that obvious? Goro wanted to crawl in a hole and die. Maybe he could just let the zombies eat him up. It would be better than whatever this conversation was. Sojiro was obviously pretending like he couldn't hear, but Ryuji was fucking _loud!_ "I'm just sayin' that you two are hella stubborn and I don't wanna see my friends burn out a relationship before it even starts, y'know?"

Since when did Ryuji Sakamoto have decent things to say? "I... appreciate the sentiment, but we are busy people. I haven't seen Akira in a week since the bathhouse and I wouldn't want to drag him on another trip to Central Street."

"Please, I'm only harassin' you about him cuz he won't shut up about how pretty you are." What? "Do you know how tired I am of hearin' _Goro Akechi is the prettiest man I've met?"_ Okay, the impression brought a small smile to Goro's face. Akira talked about him? That was... nicer to hear than he expected. It was starting to feel like he was forgotten about again. It was almost like he was... important to Akira. Was he? Did he truly want to be _with_ Goro, in that sense? Was he just getting his hopes up? Why was this so complicated?!

"Does... Forgive me if I make you uncomfortable, but does Akira... have feelings for me?" God, this was so embarrassing! Goro was used to brushing off stupid TV questions and keeping the polite persona, but he needed to know the truth. 

"Uh, duh? Homie, the day I met him he was talkin' about how he wanted you to be his, and, honestly, I thought he was dumb as hell." Ryuji offered him a grin, stretching his arms over his head. "I thought to myself... How in the hell would this guy pull that off? Goro Akechi, the fakest douchebag I've ever met, the guy who thinks he's better than everyone... Fall for the delinquent transfer student? Absolutely effin' crazy. Uh, here we are though."

"I have another question for you."

"Shoot."

"Why don't you say fuck?"

Ryuji blinked at him. Sojiro brought over their plates, raising a brow at Goro. What? "Do you kiss your mother with that mouth?!" 

"My mom's dead."

Goro couldn't help but laugh. The _face_ Ryuji just made! He looked like he shit himself! He could even hear Sojiro drop one of the pots in the sink. Goro leaned his face in his hands, shoulders shaking from laughter. Holy shit! Did he never tell Ryuji that? Ah, it was definitely not something he liked to talk about, but he couldn't help it. Her death had such a massive impact on his life and... maybe joking about his trauma wasn't so bad. He's already done plenty of other unforgivable things, right? 

"I'm so sorry."

Goro sniffed, stabbing his fork into a piece of meat. "Don't be, Ryuji," he said, "I'm not trying to bring the mood down, but I simply could not resist the opportunity. It's so hard to catch Akira off guard and you're just too easy."

"I dunno whether I should feel offended or not..." Right. _This_ was the reason he got along with Ryuji. They had a shared bond over their horrible fathers and it was much too amusing to just let this fool wander around without taking advantage of that. Goro had always been a cynical and vindictive person, but he could never express it. Of course, he was nice to Ryuji, but making the boy stutter made him feel better. That was probably wrong, huh?

Goro heard the bell at the door jingle. Akira? He looked exhausted! His tired eyes landed on Goro immediately and a smile grew on his face. "Honey, I'm home."

He could hear Ryuji splutter. "You're back awfully late," Goro said. It was decently late in the night. Akira just shrugged, dropping his bag on one of the booth seats and sliding in next to Goro. Whether it was from the shift in the relationship of his exhaustion, Akira dropped his head on Goro's shoulder. Ryuji chose to ignore it, eating his curry. Goro tried to act like it didn't bother him, but his heart was pounding. This was weird. This was _so_ weird! 

Ryuji wolfed down his food like an animal. Goro was only halfway done before the blonde was plopping the empty plate on the counter. "I'll see ya around, guys! Thanks for the dinner, Boss, it was bomb."

Goro took his time finishing his food and he nudged Akira awake with his elbow. He only received a small groan in response. That was... cute. Akira was a quiet type and he always appeared intense to people he talked to, but he just looked small. Yeah... small. Sojiro shrugged when Goro looked at him with pleading eyes. The man simply grabbed Goro's plate and told him to lock up for the night. Right, he still had to go home to Futaba. Goro's face was _burning._ He felt Akira place a cold hand on his cheek before he nuzzled into his shoulder more. "I've missed you," he whispered, "Sorry I've been gone."

"Ah, it's fine," Goro tried to keep his voice steady, "I'll take you upstairs so you can sleep, but you should get into some pajamas." Why was he being nice to him?

"I hate when you do that... TV prince shit." Akira sat up, pulling Goro out of the booth by his arm. "I like it better when you've got that crazy look in your eye... and you say aggressive things. It's cute."

Jesus fucking Christ. Goro narrowed his eyes at Akira, trying to figure out what to say. There was nothing he could say without sounding desperate. Akira simply had a way with people. There was something so alluring about him and the way he presented himself as some uncaring main character, but Goro could tell how much he wanted to be liked. There was a reason for him offering his help to every stranger. At his core, he was a good person, but even deeper? He just wanted to be liked. That's what it comes down to for a lot of people, isn't it?

"Hey, quit psychoanalyzing me and let's cuddle." Akira stripped off his shirt, the muscles on his back on full display. He kicked his pants off too, grabbing his sweats from the chair and stumbling into them. Goro looked away politely, unbuttoning his jacket and undershirt. This was... fine. Right? Akira had no business being that attractive in this shitty attic lighting. Shitty? Seriously? Who was he? Ryuji? Goro felt Akira's hands on his shoulders, tugging the rest of his shirt off before giving him a languid smile. "Sleepytime."

Akira didn't watch Goro undress. Goro grabbed his own sweatpants from Akira's closet. He spent a lot of time in this disgusting, dusty attic, so he needed to have clothes here. It wasn't weird that he chose to stay with Akira. It wasn't! He climbed into the bed, allowing Akira to drape the blanket and his arm over Goro. It had been a while since they could have a moment like this. They were always so busy and Akira ended up staying in Sojiro's house more often than he was in Leblanc. Goro rolled over, pressing his face into Akira's chest. This was very nice. Asking about a relationship would be weird right now, right? "Will you go to Central Street with me in the morning?" 

"Of course." Akira drew his head back slightly, pushing Goro's bangs from his face. He pressed a soft kiss to Goro's forehead, letting his nose bury into his hair. "We're partners, after all. I can't let you go out alone."

Goro only hummed in response, pressing as close as he could. He could really get used to this. The sound of the space heater and Akira's even breathing helped Goro fall asleep. Even if they weren't together, Goro could indulge in this, right? There was nothing wrong with indulgence as long as it didn't hurt anyone... It was Akira, after all.


	20. Pharmacy Run

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter sorry. School started up again woo.

Goro dug through Akira's closet the next morning, trying to find something to wear. It was getting hard to figure out which clothes were his and which were Akira's. The other boy was still asleep, so Goro could change really quickly and wake him up. He found a white Shujin Academy turtleneck and some black cargo pants. He found some Phoenix Ranger Neo Featherman socks as well. Those weren't his originally, but they are now. Goro placed the clothes on the couch, stripping off his pants and shirt. Akira didn't have a proper hamper, so Goro tossed it into the pile. He wished Akria had a mirror in there.

He put on the turtleneck first. It was tight against his muscles and fit loosely around the abdomen. It must be Akira's. Wow, none of this was his, was it? The pants were baggy and large, but it looked good with the tight shirt. Goro could tell it made his ass disappear, which was fine. His shirts usually covered it anyway... Well, even though he'd much rather show it off. Was that wrong? Goro found suspenders under the couch. That'd be cute... Maybe Akira would notice. Goro waved the thought away as he clasped the suspenders to his pants. 

He didn't care!

Goro lifted his foot and pressed it against Akira's shoulder, kicking him until he heard him groan. "Wake up, Akira," Goro smirked, "We have places to be, Honey~" Last night was the first time Akira had called him honey and Goro wasn't nice enough to forget about it. Akira rubbed his eyes, turning over to face the wall. 

"In a bit..." He could barely hear Akira. His face was smothered in the pillow and Goro really debated shoving it in there more. In the murder way, of course! Goro climbed on top of him, forcing Akira on his back and crossing his arms to glare at him. Akira grumbled, eyes finally opening. He blinked a little bit, trailing his dark eyes over Goro's outfit. "You look good... Something special about the mission today?"

"An apocalypse is not an excuse to dress poorly," Goro said, "I still need to brush my teeth, though."

He nearly jumped when he felt hands on his hips. Akira smiled at him, watching Goro's face. "Can I kiss you? Without the interruption?"

"We have to go to Central Street. Maybe after." Akira pouted. It felt strangely intimate to be touched so... normally. Akira's hands were so gentle and Goro could feel the weight of them. "Get dressed, Akira. The faster we go, the faster we can come back."

Goro got back on his feet, pulling the sheets off Akira. "I'll wait downstairs and then we can go."

Goro had a slight bounce to his step as he walked down the stairs. Sojiro and Futaba were the only ones in the cafe. Futaba crouched in one of the booths with her laptop, playing Snake because of the lack of Internet. Honestly, it was surprising how she was surviving. Sojiro was cleaning some glasses, placing them upside-down on the shelf behind the bar. "Oh, you look happy," Futaba said, "Did you and Akira finally bang?"

"Futaba!" Sojiro nearly dropped one of the glasses. "Don't be so inappropriate!"

"It's _true!"_

"No, we didn't." Goro held back an eye roll. Did he look happy? "But I don't understand what you said, I always have a smile on my face."

Futaba laughed, nearly choking on her curry. "Yeah, but it's fake! You're literally dead behind the eyes, dude." Goro slid into the seat across from her, placing his hands on the table. "It's kinda nice that Akira's bringing out an actual _real_ person instead of whatever facade you pick for the day."

Was he really that obvious? Being able to show Akira that dark, bloodthirsty part of him was... nice. It wasn't like Goro could show that part of him to anyone else or else they would be disturbed. It got his blood pumping. "Right," Goro said, "He's really nice."

Futaba rolled her eyes. "Is that why you dressed all cute for your mission today or...?" Goro blushed, clenching his fists. He heard Futaba snicker. "Seriously, you two are so bad. Who'd top?"

"Futaba!"

Goro wanted to explode. He blinked at her, barely hearing Sojiro scolding her. Goro never really put much thought into it. The image of Akira at the bathhouse jumped into his head. He was muscular and could probably keep Goro down. The look in his eyes when he got into the groove of slaughtering zombies was... very attractive. Goro pushed the images out of his mind when he noticed movement from the staircase. Oh, the cat. Morgana leaped onto the table, blinking at Goro with his blue eyes. The cat was pretty cute, but it meowed a lot and it seemed like he wanted to talk to him.

"Oh, Mona, you're so cute!" Futaba grinned, rubbing the cat behind the ears. "Go check on Akira, he usually doesn't take this long."

Just when she spoke, Akira came from the attic. He smiled at his family before heading behind the bar. He was in some jeans, a black shirt, and a long dark blue jacket. Goro watched him scoop curry and rice onto two plates before Akira caught him staring. He flashed a smirk at him. 

"Oh, you guys are _so_ obvious," Futaba groaned quietly. She leaned over the table and cupped the side of her face to obscure her mouth from the other two. She grinned at Goro. "I bet you got some _freaky_ kinks, don't you? You're so stuck up, I bet it's all messed up in your head."

"Could we please not talk about this?" Goro kept his voice pleasant. It was becoming increasingly hard to maintain being friendly. A plate of curry was placed in front of him and Futaba slumped back into her seat. Akira slid in the booth next to him, scooping up some rice. 

"What're you guys talking about?"

"Nothing important," Goro answered quickly, "We'll need to walk to Central Street. This will be a fast mission."

Goro listened to the conversations between the family. Akira was a quiet person, surprisingly, and Futaba was a lot more talkative than when he first met her. It was like a younger sibling that he never had, though Goro knew he wasn't part of any family. He hadn't spoken to Makoto in a while. She was always busy with helping guard Backstreets. It was home for now. Goro didn't want to stay forever. It felt like he had unfinished business with the world. His only goal for the last two years was... so far out of reach. Was he even alive? 

"The others are gonna come over tonight and we're gonna have a game night," Akira said, "Have you ever played Tycoon?"

Goro cut his thoughts off, shaking his head. "When did you all discuss this?"

"I was with Makoto, Ann, and Ryuji when we were fixing the fences." Akira stuffed a mouthful of curry into his mouth. Goro picked at his plate, eating slowly. "You should come with us next time we patrol, we came up with a cool name."

"A name?"

"We're the Phantom Thieves now." That was the dumbest name Goro's ever heard in his entire life. Phantom Thieves? "We all have codenames now too, but we still need one for Yusuke, you, and Futaba. We can talk about it tonight, though."

That's so stupid. Goro rolled his eyes, looking over to Futaba. She looked decently happy. How did they all become such close friends in such a short amount of time? Goro never really had a close connection with anyone. He had Makoto back in school, but they weren't really friends. Goro pushed his hair out of his face. He really needed to cut it. Maybe he'd grab some scissors while they were out. It didn't take long for Goro to finish his food and Akira went to wash the dishes. He enjoyed the quietness of Leblanc. It was where he stayed and it was where he could think about everything. 

Nothing would ever top the rush of killing zombies, but there must be something that could make him feel better. It's like his purpose was just taken away. Everything he worked for, all the people he's killed... Goro pulled himself away from his thoughts, walking out of the small cafe. The crisp air stung his nose, but it was nice outside. Goro liked the cold. Winter was his favorite season, after all. The leaves were finally turning orange and Goro was excited to see the colors. Excitement. Weird. Akira stuffed his hands into his pockets, breath visible. "We should find some gloves," he said.

"That would probably be a good idea." Goro hadn't had his gloves in a while. It was pretty upsetting. He cut open his gloves when he cut his bindings with the broken mirror. Madarame should have paid for that with his life. Goro was pissed that he couldn't do anything about it. His head was in so much pain and as the adrenaline faded, he found it harder and harder to move. Akira's pale face was flushed from the cold, the tip of his nose turning bright red. His face looked so soft and Goro couldn't help but stare at it. There wasn't a person in the world that brought out such a soft side to him and... he was glad. If they had still been in school, would Goro have given him a chance?

They walked side-by-side to the gate. Makoto and Ann were sitting on a crate eating some snacks. Makoto looked pretty happy talking to the blonde. Goro wondered where Ryuji was. God, the changes that could come from a little bit of force.

"You look pretty spaced out," Akira commented. The area outside the gate was pretty cleared. It was pretty early in the morning, so they wouldn't need to deal with the darkness. Hopefully. 

"I've just been thinking about the time before." Goro pushed his hair back. "My purpose has always been revenge and... a desire to be acknowledged and needed, but it just got tossed aside. There's so much more going on that I haven't had the time to focus on it. Now that we're _safe_ within walls, I can't help but feel unfinished."

Akira paused for a moment. He slipped his hand into Goro's and squeezed. "Well, you just have to try and make the best of it. Besides, the chances of that guy even being alive is pretty low, isn't it?"

Goro shrugged. Shido had a plethora of resources. He could have holed up in a bunker somewhere. Goro heard the gate scraping shut behind them, glancing behind him. Oh. It was painted. Kitagawa probably painted it. There was a black and red mass of swirls and train tracks. It looked... strange. It was familiar, but Goro didn't know from where. It spread on the outside of surrounding buildings. "Do you like it?" Akira asked, drawing Goro's attention. "Yusuke calls it Desire."

"It's... interesting," Goro said, "I'm not sure how I feel about it, though. Kitagawa is very talented."

It didn't really matter, did it? They had a job to do and Goro wanted to get it done. 


	21. The Man Called The Minister

Goro stared at his reflection in one of the intact windows. Central Street was pretty fucked up. Would they even find what they needed? "I need a haircut," Goro said. His voice was deadpan. When Goro was just with Akira, he had no reason to pretend to be a nice and optimistic person. 

"I can cut it for you when we get back." Akira was crouching on the ground, picking at the lock on the pharmacy door. Sure, there was a hole in the glass door but he insisted on getting the door open. Something about not wanting Goro to get cut. Goro rolled his eyes, blowing the strands out of his eyes. He pulled his hair back, tying it into a short ponytail. He hadn't had short hair in a long time. Back in middle school, Goro was causing trouble and getting into fights. He cut his own hair with kitchen knives. "Got it!"

Akira pushed the door open, allowing Goro to enter first. His gun was drawn and he used his spare hand to hold the flashlight against the gun. It wasn't that dark inside thanks to the sunlight, but Goro couldn't be too sure. Akira peeked between shelves, pulling his backpack from his shoulders. Akira started shoving bandages and antisceptics in there for himself, sparing glances around to Goro. A gas mask? That could prove useful. He put it in his bag. Akira looked down at his bandaged arm. He needed to keep Goro safe. That arena gave him such a rush, but he didn't even realize what was happening to him. 

Akira leaned back to look down the aisle. The pharmacy counter was completely closed off. The metal cover and the metal doors were sealed with electronic locks. The power wasn't on and it likely stayed locked. How would they even get in? Akira looked around, walking closer to Goro and draping his arm over his shoulder. "Find anything, Honey?"

"No, I haven't." Goro ducked under Akira's arm, freeing himself. "We need to get into there, but I'm not completely sure if the alarm is still working."

Akira tugged on the padlock. "Don't you usually shoot these?" 

Goro pursed his lips, looking down at his gun. "I... only have a few more bullets left... I didn't want to waste them."

"That's fair." Akira inspected the lock. "I could probably pick it, but I'll need a minute or two. You should look around."

"You should teach me that sometime. I don't want to rely on you." 

"I'm not going anywhere." Goro rolled his eyes at the younger boy. He looked a little different from when they first met. Akira's face looked more determined. He went from a lost looking delinquent standing around with a baseball bat to a guy who decently knew what he was doing. Goro watched him blow hair out of his eyes before walking away. There was no use standing around doing nothing. Goro aimed his flashlight towards the bathrooms, squinting at the shadows. He spared a glance back at Akira before walking over. 

He pushed open the door to the men's bathroom, aiming the light at the stalls. Goro couldn't hear anything, but that didn't mean they were safe. He kicked open each stall, slamming the doors into the walls and listening to the metal echo. Empty. Goro frowned. There was a backpack on the floor of one of the stalls. Someone's been here. The bag was black, with pins all over it. There was a UFO and a burger pin. It was kinda cute. Goro kneeled on the tile, unzipping the backpack and shining his light inside. A water bottle, a pocket knife, and a notebook. Goro flipped open the book, reading through journal entries. It seemed to be about Big Bang Burger, probably an ex-employee, complaining about a man named Kunikazu Okumura. He sounds familiar.

Goro pursed his lips, continuing on. It mentioned his daughter, Haru Okumura, and the vast differences between her father and herself. Robots and factories... Goro rolled his eyes at all the analogies. 

_He must be following orders from someone else. Someone in the political world. He wants to run for Prime Minister._

Goro paused. He flipped through it more. It became more scarce after the apocalypse, logging food intake and supplies. No. No, no, no. That couldn't be it--oh! 

_Okumura is dead. The Minister's men took in two men from the outside and they let the dead in. They made a man called Joker fight in the Arena. The Minister took in survivors, but it's like a prison in here. The Minister tells us that he will steer the ship of this country into a new tomorrow. I pray that he succeeds. He was a politician in the Old Life. He must be so experienced._

Goro dropped the notebook, the loud slap against the tile seemed so far away. The Minister? Steer the ship? Goro heard all of that bullshit before. He felt his heart pounding in his chest, in his ears, his fingers. Could the Minister be Shido? Could he be alive? Everything that Goro worked towards... was it still attainable? If Shido was alive, then he needed to be exterminated like he deserves. He _needed_ to find out more. The journal hadn't been updated. Who was this person? Goro dug through the bag, ripping out clothes and junk. Something, _anything. Please._

Nothing. 

"Shit." Goro lowered his head, placing it into his hands. All those people that died for this cause. It couldn't have been for nothing. Goro took a deep breath. He didn't sell away his morals for power just to have it all taken away from him by a fucking zombie. Goro had a goal to complete. He braced himself on his knees, standing up and sliding the pocket knife into his jacket. It wasn't Goro's problem if they didn't have another weapon. Where were they? Their body? Would they come back? Could Goro ask?! He rushed out of the bathroom, spotting Akira sitting on the pharmacy counter and swinging his legs.

He noticed Goro immediately, giving him a bright smile. It was so contagious. "Did you find anything useful? Or... did something mess with your stomach?" Akira tilted his head, hair falling over his face. It was so cute. Goro shook his head, walking closer to the counter. "You okay? You look a little upset."

"There was a journal in the bathroom," Goro said slowly, "It talked about us. The Arena. It was run by someone called the Minister. I think it's Shido."

"Shido?” Who the hell is Shido? Akira never heard that name before. 

"Masayoshi Shido," Goro let a bitter smile cross his face, "My degenerate father... I'm going to find him... and I'm going to kill him."

Akira frowned, looking down at his legs. Masayoshi Shido sounded familiar, but it was hard to remember. Goro's face was twisted into a scowl. He looked determined. He should tell him to let go, shouldn't he? He might not even be alive out there. Goro could just go without him. He would. If Akira didn't offer to help him, Goro would just go alone. It seemed like that was his style. Aloneness. Akira finally looked up, offering Goro a smile.

"I'm going with you."

Goro blinked, the scowl dropping. Why did he look so surprised? "You don't need to pretend like you're okay with this, Akira. I highly doubt that a murder mission is within your morals. It could take weeks, maybe even _months_ to complete!"

Akira slid off the counter, wrapping his arms around Goro. "I'm not going anywhere, remember? We're partners." Goro shook his head, resting his forehead on Akira's shoulder. How did he still smell so nice? It was the coffee smell. It had to be. Goro let himself sigh. "Are you okay?"

"I'm perfectly fine." Why? Why doesn't Akira hate him? Goro's next job before the apocalypse was on Principal Kobayakawa. He was going to do it after school that day. It was the only reason he had the suppressor on his handgun that day. Goro frowned, feeling Akira's hand on the back of his head. It was almost alien to be held so lovingly. Goro's closest thing to a father figure was that man... the yakuza man who left for a better life. There was never any affection. It wasn't something that Goro ever wanted to have. Akira was just so fucking touchy and... Goro couldn't say that it was unpleasant.

Akira placed a tender kiss on Goro's forehead, offering him a smile as he pulled away. "Let's get this done and we can pack up to find out what's going on with that Shido guy." Goro blinked at Akira, trying to keep himself from staring. What the hell is with this guy? Akira wasn't supposed to be supporting him through this? How loose were his morals? 

"Fine." Goro pulled himself away, feeling Akira pull him back even tighter. Akira took a deep inhale in Goro's neck and he could feel the warmth spread through his shirt. "Wh... What are you doing?!"

"You look so good today." Akira's voice was rough. He dug his fingers into the fabric, rubbing circles into Goro's back. "There's nothing around us, you know..."

Goro felt his face warm up. What? "We... We can continue this back home, Akira." Goro could barely choke it out. He was far too busy to even think about doing things with Akira, but... God, he was so attractive. "We have to finish the mission... and I'm not having my first time in an abandoned mini-mart!" Akira pulled his face back, pouting like a child.

Akira hopped over the counter, checking between the shelves before waving for Goro to follow. Goro handed the list to Akira, grabbing pills off the shelves and haphazardly throwing them into his bag. Akira could focus on the actual mission part, Goro was just happy to be there. It was a shame that Central Street was secure. He was hoping for some zombies. Goro sighed, grabbing a prescription off the shelf. He read the name, tossing it into his bag. He didn't even know what most of them were. He never really needed any medications. His mother had a lot of them.

Goro could remember going with her to pick up her medication and he would always try to slip some candy on the counter. She rarely ever bought them, but she treated him to some when she got paid. He could imagine what they were. He spared a glance over his shoulder to see Akira squinting at the list. It was a little darker back here than it was in the front of the store. Goro shined the light to the other boy, walking over to place it directly on the wrinkled sheet of paper. "Do you actually need your glasses?"

"Yeah, my vision is pretty bad. I usually wear contacts but I thought the glasses would make me look more unassuming at Shujin, you know?" Goro almost rolled his eyes. Akira would definitely have that logic, wouldn't he? Goro kept his hair long to seem more approachable as well, but it became such a hassle. Akira tugged on his bandage, idly reading over the list. "Takemi's been testing on me to see if she can find out what's causing my immunity. She wants to watch the healing process."

"Watch the healing process? You're not saying that she wants you to get bitten again, are you?" Sure, Takemi was a very curious woman from what Goro could tell, but she was out of her _mind_ if she thinks that Goro will allow this! Akira simply shrugged, pursing his lips at the paper. "I'll kill her before I let that happen."

Now _that_ gave Akira some pause. He blinked at Goro's blank face, raising his fingers and flicking Goro on the forehead. "You're not allowed to kill my friends, Goro-chan. I'll break up with you."

"We're not- We're... _What_ did you just call me?!" Goro shoved Akira back. "First of all, don't call me that. Second of all, we're not _dating!"_

Akira hummed, wandering away from Goro to go look at another shelf. "Do you not want to be my boyfriend, then?"

"I... didn't say that..."

"Would you like to be my boyfriend?" Akira read one of the labels, dropping it into his bag and moving to a different shelf. When Goro mumbled an answer, Akira snickered. "Looks like we're boyfriends now, Goro-chan. Can we hurry this up?"

They finished up with the pharmacy after Goro picked himself up to help. He couldn't even understand most of the labels and Akira wound up doing all of the work. Goro stared at the ceiling, holding the flashlight on Akira while he finished up. Where could Shido be hiding? Maybe he holed himself up in the Diet building... Yes, that would be the logical next step, would it not? If Goro could go and get to Shido's office, he could find some information about where he could have gone to hide. Goro would find him. He would find his corpse if he needed to, but Goro needed to know. 

Akira waved a hand in front of Goro's face, shaking his full bag. "We can go home now."

Goro nodded, following Akira to the front door. It was almost sundown. The quadrupeds, from what Goro could tell, were more active at night and he did not want to get caught up with those fucking monsters. Akira grabbed Goro's hand, taking the lead in walking back to Yongen-Jaya. Goro could see some stray zombies here and there, aiming his gun as he walked. It was easy to pop them off, the sound quieted by his suppressor. It was a really good investment. Seriously! Goro ducked under one of the collapsed walls of the CD store, nearly smashing his face into it.

"Why are we going this way?"

"It smells like there are zombies there." _What?_ Did Akira have some weird smelling ability or something? Goro couldn't smell anything. "C'mon, let's go this way."

Akira pulled aside a curtain, ushering Goro to a back alley. He looked both ways, pulling Goro to one side. How did he know all the shortcuts? The alleyway led to Station Square and Akira pulled Goro into the subway station before the stray zombies noticed them. "I thought you were new to Tokyo," Goro commented, "You seem to know your way around."

"I was here for three weeks before I started school," Akira winked, "I wanted some quick escapes in case any cops wanted to chase me around." Goro couldn't tell if he was joking or not. He knew that Akira was a criminal, but they never really talked about what happened. Sure, he checked the police report when he heard that there would be a transfer student and... sure, he thought that his mugshot was really hot... Besides the point! It was reported by a woman who claimed he had just attacked her date. It didn't sound like it would really be Akira. 

Goro nearly tripped down the stairs. This was so stupid. Akira managed to lead him to the Yongen-Jaya Gate before the younger boy just jumped into the tracks. "What're you doing?" Goro crossed his arms, staring at Akira with raised eyebrows.

"Walking? Come on, I doubt that there's any working trains _or_ zombies down here. Trust me." Goro frowned, jumping down next to him. They were lower than he expected it to be. And it was pitch black. Akira was the one holding the flashlight and Goro tried to squint into the darkness. It was... unsettling. There was something so familiar about the subway station, but it was _off_ in some way. Goro tightened his grip on Akira's hand, stepping closer to him. "Scared?"

"Of course not," Goro mumbled, "I just feel uneasy... Let's just get this over with!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yo I'm SORRY i've been gone for so long


	22. The Subway Monster

Akira seemed like he had night-vision. He was walking ahead of Goro and not even worrying about running into anything. Goro hung back more, trying to keep the creeps from running down his spine. Not a lot of things scared him, but it wasn't really something he would ever admit. Especially not to Akira. Goro tightened his grip on the backpack, pursing his lips. Akira was so content with staying in Backstreets with everyone, but he was always gone. He was always fucking doing shit with everyone else and Goro was just stuck being useless. He didn't really have any skills besides murdering and people-pleasing.

Was that wrong of him? Akira was good at everything and people were naturally drawn to him. Even Goro couldn't resist him. Boyfriends... Goro never had time for a relationship... not even hookups. Goro was far too busy to bother himself with that sort of thing and he _knew_ that people would be repulsed by his occupation. Akira stopped suddenly, staring at the crashed train in front of them. It was twisted up in the subway and stacked on top of its own crushed cars. "Great," Goro rolled his eyes, "Your genius has led us into this. Tell me again why I listen to you?"

"We can just go through it. If you're so scared I'll hold your hand." Goro slapped his hand away, feeling an immediate grab in his hair. Akira dragged him back to face him and glared directly into Goro's eyes. "I wouldn't do that, honey~" Goro could swear that there was a shift in eye color. Maybe he was just the light. Akira pressed a gentle kiss to Goro's mouth, a sharp contrast from the hand ripping his hair out. Why is this hot? Why is this hot? Why is this hot? "Now, we can just go through it... if you're scared, I'll hold your hand."

Goro blinked, trying to swallow his pride down. He could barely see Akira's face and yet... "I-I'm not scared," Goro mumbled, "We can go." Akira hummed, releasing Goro with a gentle pat on his head. Like he was a fucking dog. 

"Good boy."

Oh! So today's the day that Goro figures something about himself. Akira walked ahead, peeking inside the dark train windows. How could he even see? Were there any zombies in there? Most likely. Goro followed after Akira, climbing onto the train and pressing the flashlight against the glass. Bodies. Lots and lots of bodies. If Goro walked in there, he would probably die immediately. Goro looked over to Akira, leaning his back against the railing. "I'm not going in there," he said, "I'm just going to meet you back at Leblanc, okay?"

"What? No! We're not going to split up." 

Goro groaned, "I'm not going in there! There are corpses in an enclosed space and they likely died months ago based on the fucking train accident." Akira spared another glance inside. Sure enough, there were piles of bodies. There was no telling if there was any infected and their rotting corpse would probably emit some kind of infectious... something. 

"Wait! I found this in the store!" Akiradug into his bag, pulling out the mask. It was a gas mask with a clear face shield and grey filters. Akira pulled apart the straps, pushing Goro's hair out of his face and slipping it on him. "Hopefully, this works..."

"I don't think hopefully is enough here." Goro's voice was muffled, but Akira focused on tightening the straps until Goro complained about the tightness. Honestly, he _really_ hoped that everything would work out okay. "You're not guaranteed to be safe either, you know."

"I'm more likely." Maybe Akira should be more worried about himself. He survived a zombie bite, he should be able to breathe it in too. The infection is transferred through bodily fluids, from what he could tell, so their decaying particles in the air carry the same disease. And he was fine! Akira braced himself on one of the bars, pushing his foot against the rusted door. The screech of metal scraping against metal made his ears hurt. Goro covered his and shook his head. "Let's hope nothing heard that..."

"Don't drag me down," Goro hissed. His voice was dropping into that gravelly and cruel battle speech again. It shouldn't be attractive. Ugh, focus, Akira! Goro took his gun out, holding it down towards the ground. The stench of decay hit Akira like a truck. Akira wanted to vomit. Most of the bodies weren't fully decayed for how long they've been down here, probably from the lack of life. He could still see maggots crawling around and flies. Some of the bodies had flesh torn off. They all looked zombified as well. "Once everyone was turned, they likely starved to death."

"So zombies don't eat other zombies? Isn't that weird?" Akira knocked one in the face with his baseball bat, the skin falling off easily. "Gross... I'm definitely not a fan of this. Trains are usually packed though."

Goro hummed, looking towards the door to the next car. It was pried open. "People probably escaped when the train crashed." Goro spoked slowly, shining his flashlight on one of the dropped bodies. A bullet hole. "Someone's been here before us. Let's tread carefully." He nudged the body with the barrel of his gun, jumping when it collapsed from the chair. Whoops.

Akira wrinkled his nose, swatting away a fly that got too close to him. Goro shined the light into the next train car. Jesus fucking Christ. There was a zombie. A fucking _massive_ zombie with a bunch of other zombies fused into it like some kind of mutant. It was like the culmination of months of infection all rolled up into one beast. The main body was the massive armored zombie and Goro could spot various other mutants trapped within it. Akira hadn't noticed it yet, but Goro stood still. Why couldn't he move? It turned to look at him, shaking the train with the sheer force of its step. It could probably rip him in half. "Akira..." Goro whispered, gulping, "We need to leave... We need to leave right now."

"Huh?" Akira looked over to where Goro was staring. His heart dropped. What the fuck? What the fuck! Goro was still standing still, the flashlight trained on the creature. They really didn't have time to stand around. Akira raced towards Goro, shoving both of them out of the train door and into the tracks. They were stuck between the bits of the crushed train, but they couldn't just be stuck there. "Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit." Akira looked around, locking his eyes on the tiny gap beneath a piece of one of the cars and the ground. They needed to crawl. He pulled Goro by the hand towards it, watching the thing clamber out of the door. He pushed Goro down, quickly following after him. Could they fit?

He could feel it getting closer, dragging himself on his chest and elbows, his back scraping against the sharp metal. The flashlight was left on the other side and Akira spared a glance. It was reaching for him and-- Goro pulled him by his arms, forcing Akira further under the train. He could feel its massive hand brush against his pant leg. Akira struggled through the rest of the way, heart pounding in his chest. He heaved out his breaths. The train began shaking and lifting and... Was it _lifting_ the fucking train?! Goro pulled Akira to his feet and it was so dark. Goro couldn't see Akira's face right in front of him. It didn't matter. Hopefully. Akira could see well enough, gripping Goro's hand so tightly it could have broken.

He pushed Goro's head down to duck under one of the train cars, climbing into the next. The rest of the train seemed straight from what Akira could tell. Goro yelled, something grabbing his arm and pulling him away from Akira. He could hear the groaning. Goro leaned away from its mouth, pushing it away from him with his foot. It was so _strong!_ He could feel every muscle struggling to keep up. Goro tried to reach for his gun, crushed between his body and the hard floor. He felt something graze his hair and the zombie was forced away from him with a disgusting splatter on the front of the gas mask. "Akira?"

"I got you." Akira dragged Goro up and Goro finally took out his gun. He fumbled with it until he felt the switch of his attached flashlight. Thank fucking god he didn't take it off. Light flooded the train car just as it began shaking. That _thing_ was on the outside, forcing itself against the aluminum. Goro fell into one of the seats, right into the lap of a waiting zombie. "Goro!"

Goro leaned his neck away from it, straining against its arms. Why are they so fucking strong?! He could feel the heat of the threat against him and he twirled his gun between his fingers. If he missed, he'd be dead. Goro leaned as far as he could away from it, pulling the trigger. It whizzed past his face and hit the thing in the skull. The corpse dropped its arms. Akira dug his fingers between the train doors. It hurt so fucking bad. The train car was tipping over and Goro could see the thing looking at him. It didn't even have eyes. How was it so good at tracking them? Akira grunted, gnawing his bottom lip with his teeth until he tasted blood. Fuck. He forced the doors open, bracing his body against it to make sure it stayed that way. "Goro, go!"

Goro pulled his eyes away from the beast, nearly leaping out of the train car. Akira quickly followed. His fingers were bloody and bruised. He looked like he had tears in his eyes. "Are you-"

"Let's hurry up!" Akira was running once again, his hand in Goro's He was vaguely distracted by his flashlight swinging around. How far did they have to go? The path looked clear, but was there any more of those things? How far would it follow them? 

Goro's lungs were burning. The cycling helped his legs and endurance, but the way his legs felt like they were going to fall off was distracting. He needed a break. He could feel the itch of sweat dripping down his spine. Goro's foot caught in the track, forcing him to the ground. His knee slammed into the metal, spreading pain all over his leg. "Shit," he hissed, "Akira... I'm so tired. How much... How much longer?" Akira collapsed next to him, sitting down and taking huge breaths. At least he was tired as well. How long have they been running? Was it getting smaller? 

"We're..." Akira gulped. "Almost there, honey. What the hell _was_ that thing?"

"It looked like different zombies fused into one." Goro couldn't stop panting. He rubbed his knee, aiming his gun down the tunnels to shine the light. "The question is how we can prevent it from getting out of here."

"Crow."

"What?"

Akira sent him a bright grin. "Your codename. It should be Crow!" Okay, fine. Goro was far too exhausted to deal with Akira's attitude. Fuck it. He's Crow now. Goro dropped his head, pushing his sweaty hair from his sweaty forehead with his sweaty hand. He needed a bath when they got back. Goro shined the light at Akira's hands. His fingers looked intact, at least. Crawling under that train caused scratches on Goro's arms and rips in his pants. He probably looked utterly disgusting right now. It wasn't like Akira was much better off. His hair was matted down with sweat and he had dirt on his face. Goro wiped the face shield of the mask with his sleeve. Zombie blood. Oh... right.

"Thanks for saving me back there," Goro mumbled, "I don't think I would have made it."

"Are you ever gonna believe me when I say that I got you? I won't let anything happen to you. If something happened to you... I don't know what I'd do." How could he stand to be so sincere even when they were running for their lives? Goro couldn't help but shake his head, letting out a laugh. It was small... but genuine. Akira's heart fluttered. "Hey, Goro."

"What is it now?"

Akira took a deep breath. He let his hand reach out and push away a strand of hair. "I love you." His voice was barely a whisper. Goro stilled, nearly lurching away from the touch. Akira tried to search his expression for anything beyond shock. "You don't have to say it back if you're not ready. There's no rush. I'm in it for the long haul."

Goro frowned, looking down at the train tracks. His first genuine, non-fan love confession was seriously on the train tracks? "I wish we had a more scenic place," Goro said, "I really don't deserve you. You'll never be able to settle down until I'm done with my mission. There's no telling how long that'll take or... how you'll think of me when it's all over. I can't expect you to still feel the same. I'm not a good person, Akira."

"You're not a bad person either. You've done bad things, but you're not a bad person." Akira stood up, his legs slightly shaking, offering his hand to Goro. "You don't have to always do bad things either. You can leave it all behind and choose to do good, to do the right thing."

"We have very different views on the right thing."


	23. The Interlude of Calm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Goro's horny lol

Akira basically bounced up the stairs once they reached the end of the tunnels. Goro reached for the gas mask, tugging on it until he felt the cool air on his moist face. The humidity was disgusting in there. Goro took a deep breath, pushing sweaty hair from his forehead. "Ugh, I'm going to need a bath."

"I can cut your hair first." Akira reached out, taking a piece of Goro's hair and twirling it around his finger. "I can make it about my length. It'll keep your hair nice and pretty."

Goro furrowed his brows, rolling his eyes. "Must you always talk to me like I'm your junior... or a girl? In case you haven't realized, I'm older than you _and_ more experienced." Akira smirked, letting out an infuriating chuckle. His grip on the strand tightened and he tugged Goro closer to him. What was _with_ him today?! He had a dark look in his eyes. Normally, they were so soft and understanding and kind and--

"You're always so mean to me, honey." Akira's voice was just above a whisper. Vaguely threatening. Goro tightened his jaw, forcing himself to glare straight into Akira's eyes. There was barely a height difference, but Goro felt small. He let Goro's hair slip past his finger. "It's why I love you so much. We can talk more when I cut your hair."

Goro looked down at Akira's bandages. He should have been the one in the arena. Why did they pick him anyway? It should have been Goro and then, maybe, Akira wouldn't need the weight of being a potential savior to the world. Akira noticed Goro's stare and he smothered the urge to cover it up. Long sleeves will be the way to go for a long time. Backstreets was a short walk and Makoto was sitting outside with a gun and a carton of juice. 

"Why do you two always look beat up after a mission?" She was leaning her chair back, letting it rest against the wall. Was it even stable enough? "We're checking for bites post-mission now. You two are the only ones who have been out lately, so please go straight to Dr. Takemi's office. Has your cut healed any?" 

"Oh, yeah," Akira smiled, "I wanna keep it covered though. I feel like it adds to the apocalypse look, you know?" Makoto shook her head, letting out a laugh. 

"You and your theatrics." Her eyes jumped to Goro. They were never friends, no, but they had a lot of student council duties together. She must still harbor some hesitance considering the way she looked at him. "You know, Akechi, you're not exempt from helping around the place just because you don't like it here."

Goro kept his smile pristine. Makoto was not very good at controlling her facial expressions. She was a terrible liar, truthfully. "I never said I dislike it here. I apologize that I haven't been doing too much to help with security or guard, but have you forgotten that the only reason there's power and running water is because Akira and I walked to Shinjuku for the generators. Not to mention that we _just_ got back from a trip to get more medicine."

"Um, let's just go to the Clinic." The tension made Akira uncomfortable. Makoto had a frown set in her face and she had dropped her chair back to a proper position. "It was nice talking to you, Makoto, let's meet up at Leblanc tonight for some dinner." Akira essentially pushed Goro through the gate, waving to Makoto. Hopefully, neither of them were too pissed off. Goro yanked the door open. Okay, yeah, pissed off. "Hey, Doc!"

"Did you get my supplies?" Akira dropped the bag on the counter, taking the gas mask from Goro and placing it on top. "You think you can make this less janky? There were a lot of particles and I don't want anything to happen to him. We need a check-up for infection anyway." Takemi nodded, pushing her seat back and walking into the exam room.

The boys met her on the other side and Goro took a seat on the cot. It'd be smarter if he was checked first, considering that Akira had nothing to worry about. "You look nice, Akechi-kun," she commented, "Very fashionable for such a simple mission." 

She checked Goro's vitals and took some swabs of his mouth. There were no bites on his immediate limbs and Takemi trusted the two of them enough to not do a full strip-search. She shined a flashlight into Akira's eyes, watching his pupils carefully. They reacted appropriately. "Have there be any changes recently?"

Akira shook his head, "Not that I can-"

"His vision in the dark has improved and he has a great sense of smell regarding the detection of hordes, but I'm not completely sure considering that I don't have a reliable base for these assumptions beyond what I can tell." Takemi hummed, taking some notes on her clipboard. "The zombies have stages of infection as well. We found a combined zombie stuck in a train and there have been many evolutions."

"I'm sure. Maybe I could benefit from your insight, Akechi-kun." Takemi set her clipboard down, crossing her legs. "Akira-kun could learn a thing or two about honesty with your doctor. You two are free to leave. Try not to come back for anything beyond a clinical trial."

Akira held the door open for Goro when they entered Leblanc. The cafe was closed for some reason and Akira pulled one of the stools out. "Let's cut your hair," he said, "Then we can go take a bath."

Goro took a seat on the stool, pulling his hair out of the ponytail and letting it fall back over his face. He watched Akira rummaging through the kitchen, brandishing a pair of shiny scissors. Hopefully, Sojiro wouldn't get too upset about his scissors being used for a haircut. Akira placed the scissors on the bar, patting Goro on the head. "I'll be right back," he said, turning to go up the stairs. Goro blew a strand from his nose, staring down at the floorboards. He kept his hair long so he could seem more approachable. His hair was short when he was younger, back when the orphanage insisted on it, but he would get in constant fights with other students. Goro was so used to solving everything with his fists.

He heard thumping on the staircase and Akira appeared son the floor. "Did you just fall?"

"I found a hairbrush." Akira ignored his question. "I don't know where it's from considering I don't brush my hair."

"I'm so surprised." Goro couldn't help but roll his eyes. Akira laughed, taking Goro's hair and pulling it to his back. His fingers brushed against Goro's neck. He gently brushed out the tangles, running his fingers through it with each brush. It was... strangely intimate. Akira took up the scissors, sliding it against Goro's nape and snipping away some hair. The cold metal against his warm neck was weird. Akira carefully cut away his hair until it barely brushed against his ears. He ran his fingers through Goro's hair, fluffing it up before moving in front of Goro. "Is it bad?"

"Nothing looks bad on you and you know it." Akira cut a chunk of Goro's hair in the front, allowing the strands to fall over his face. It was shorter, but it wasn't any kind of bowl cut. Goro felt it brush against his cheeks and Akira kept smiling at him. Jesus, why did it make his face so warm. Goro couldn't help but smile back. He thought back to the tight grip that Akira had on him earlier. There was just something so fucking attractive about Akira being angry and mean. Goro wanted to see more of it. "Why do you have that look on your face? I don't trust that."

Oh, damn, did he make that face out loud? "I was just thinking," Goro shrugged, "I'll tell you about it later."

Akira pushed the freshly cut strands from Goro's face, pressing a kiss to his forehead. "All done. I have to clean this up though, so go pamper yourself." 

Goro nodded, hopping off the stool. There was so much hair on the floor. He could mess with Akira once he was done at the bathhouse. Ugh, he was thinking like some kind of horny teenager. He was, but that's beside the point. Goro grabbed some clothes from Akira's shelves, trying to find something that belonged to him. Was anyone coming to Leblanc tonight? Hopefully not. Goro really didn't want to socialize. Akira was sweeping the floorboards and Goro politely stepped over the pile of hair. "I'll be back soon," Goro said, "Are you going to join me?"

"Of course." Oh, the innocent smile was to die for. Goro heard the bell jingle on his way out. It was cold outside and it seemed like there was nobody else around. 

The steam of the bathhouse hit Goro's cold face when he entered. It was completely empty. He dropped his filthy clothes on the bench and sunk into the tub, adjusting the water until he could feel the pleasant burn against his skin. It seemed that he was in the bathhouse quite often. Well, maybe if a zombie's head didn't explode all over him, he wouldn't be here. Things were getting more dangerous every time they went outside. Goro sunk into the water, touching his wet hair. It was so short and so nice. It's been so long since he let himself be who he truly was. Some low-life, violent thug with anger issues. 

Goro flexed his hand, resting the back of his head against the edge of the tub. He could hear the door open and close. Was Akira done already? Hopefully, nobody else showed up. Goro had some things he wanted to take care of. He peeked over and saw Akira undressing near his pile of clothes. Back muscles. Akira was so fit and just so fucking attractive. Especially angry Akira. Goro needed more of it. Akira looked over his shoulder, dropping his glasses on top of the clothes. "Stare much?"

"Do something about it then." Goro rolled his eyes, letting them flutter shut before placing his head back once more. He felt the water move and listened to the soft splashing of Akira's presence. Akira was very hard to piss off, so how could he get him to that point? Goro ran through various options in his mind, the silence distracting him. He slapped Akira's hand away in the subway and that made him mad. Was it the mix of his words and the slap or was it just the slap? Akira's never been forceful and he respected boundaries. It couldn't have been that. 

"Do you like your hair?" Goro opened his eyes. Akira had such a kind expression, head tilted to the side and smiling like some curious puppy. Goro nodded, rolling his eyes at the stupidity of it all. "You roll your eyes so much. Is it just for me?"

"You've noticed?" That's embarrassing. Maybe he could... "Maybe don't be so pathetically boring and I won't need to roll my eyes, A-ki-ra."

Oh... There's that dark look that Goro was looking for. Akira leaned closer to him, crawling forward on his hands and knees. "Boring? You're so cruel, Goro-chan." There was a certain kind of tone in Akira's voice, something darker than Goro was used to. Akira tilted his head once more, breath reaching Goro's mouth. "No, that's not right, is it? I saw your face in the subway... You liked it... If I was bold, I would think that you were trying to get me angry again." Goro leaned back, away from the obvious trap. Akira could not outsmart him in this and just call him out! That was just... Akira laughed, reaching up and wrenching his hand into Goro's hair. "You want me to pull your hair again? All you had to do was ask. No need to insult me."

"You just make it so easy." Goro smiled, hardening his glare. He wouldn't lose. "You have no initiative. You rely on all of your stupid little friends to drag you around because you have no true intentions. You should be selfish sometimes, Akira, then maybe I wouldn't take advantage of that." 

"Selfish? I'm not you. I care about my friends and I care about you. You wouldn't want to get involved in my _selfish_ wishes." Akira leaned into Goro's face, pressing a kiss to the corner of his mouth, his cheek, down to his jaw. Goro pressed his lips together, tightening his fists at his sides. "You're so tense." Akira's words were mumbled into his skin, opening his mouth and biting hard into Goro's neck. Goro clenched his teeth, a quiet whimper making its way out. 

Akira slid his hands over Goro's legs, placing himself closer. "You're so perfect, Goro." Akira continued leaving marks on Goro's shoulders and chest and neck, "How did I get so lucky." Akira wrapped a hand around Goro's cock and Goro let out a choked moan. "Feel good? You don't have to be so quiet, honey."

Goro leaned his head on Akira's shoulder, his hand tightly wound around Akira's wrist. "F-Fuck... Ah, shit, can you...?" Goro felt Akira's hand move faster, choking out another moan. "W-Wait! Stop!" Akira stopped, a look of concern crossing his face. "I, ah, I don't want to finish yet. Please, I wanna make you feel good too."

"You're so sweet, so kind," Akira whispered, cupping Goro's face with his free hand. "Shit." He was losing control. Akira watched Goro's eyes, pupils blown wide. "You wanna know one of my selfish desires?" Goro nodded, breath shaky and uneven. How was he so flustered from such little touching? Was he really so depraved? Akira leaned into Goro's ear, licking a stripe against Goro's ear. _"If_ I were selfish, I would have absolutely ruined you in the subway when you had the audacity to disrespect me."

Goro's foggy mind cleared for a moment. God, he probably looked so pathetic. Akira had that annoying smirk on his face. "I think..." Goro took a deep, steady breath. "I'd like to go back to Leblanc and let you act on your selfish desires."

"We'd need to be fast. Everyones coming over tonight for dinner. I'd like to take my time with you. Can you be patient?" Goro's squirm was enough of an answer for him. Akira shook his head, placing his hand back around Goro's cock. "You better behave yourself tonight or I'll have to punish you, okay?"

"Fuck! Fine! Okay!" Akira pat his head and Goro leaned into the touch. 

"Good boy." Shit, that again? Akira grabbed the shampoo, lathering it into Goro's hair and scratching his scalp gently. It was the most gentle touch and Goro closed his eyes. It felt so nice, he could almost ignore the hard on. Damn, this was going to be a hard get together, huh? Akira poured water over his head, cupping his hand over Goro's eyebrows to shield his eyes from the suds. "You're doing so well, baby, I can't wait to take you apart tonight. I've been waiting so long, but it's been so hard to keep my hands to myself."

"I wish you didn't," Goro whispered, "You piss me off so much. You're so fucking good at everything."

Akira's laugh was so pleasant. Goro could listen to it on repeat for the rest of his life. He was so fucked.


	24. "Aki"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains smut btw

Goro tried to focus during dinner. Tonight would be their proposal for the mission and Goro needed to pay attention. Akira had rewrapped his arm when they returned from the bathhouse, using bright red medical tape to add a pop of color. Goro kept his hands wound tight in his lap, his thigh pressed right up against Akira's in the small booth. He made a big pot of curry and some desserts. The resources they had were great and... Goro was going to ask them to leave it all behind. "Mm, I _love_ Akira's cooking!" Ann shoved a spoonful of curry in her mouth, groaning in delight. "I don't know how I lived without it!"

"Um, about that." Akira began the conversation. It was inevitable and Goro needed to go ASAP. "There's someone on the outside that we need to find. Someone important. It could take months to find him, but we need your help."

“What’s up, man?” Despite everything, Goro knew that Ryuji would go. He didn’t talk to the blonde at all in school, but Goro could see just how determined he was to help and defend other people. Goro pushed to lessen his punishment for hitting Kamoshida. It was admirable.  
  
Goro took a deep breath, steeling his nerves. “There’s a man I’m searching for. This whole time... I thought he was dead. I thought that everything I worked towards was gone, but there’s a lead for him being alive. He’s... he’s my father. I have to find him!” He allowed pathetic desperation in his voice. They would recoil in disgust if they knew his true intentions. 

He could feel Akira’s eyes on him and Goro chose to give pleading eyes to his allies. “Of course we’ll help you,” Makoto said, “I didn’t know your father was in Tokyo. I thought you said you were in foster care.”

“My father recently reached out to me and... he wanted to apologize for everything. I thought I’d at least hear him out.” Disgusting. That man was going to rot and Goro would put him in his grave. He’d throw him into a pit of zombies if he could, just so he can watch him suffer before he died. Should he leave him to wander the earth as a brainless monster or destroy his very existence? A second life could be a blessing.   
  
Akira placed a firm hand on Goro’s thigh, squeezing hard with a vague threat behind it. Honesty. Goro lacked honesty. Goro squeezed Akira’s hand with his own, watching the others talk about getting their things together. One final night in Backstreets and they would leave in the evening once they had all their supplies. The RV was still decent on gas, Yusuke’s childhood photo was still in the closet. It was reliable.

“Once everything is settled with my father, I’ll be able to live peacefully,” Goro said, “I’ve been stuck with the deep feeling that something is missing or wrong and... I know this will make it all go away... so thank you all for helping me.”

Goro didn’t want to go back to Backstreets either. He would tell them when the time came. Akira stood slowly, collecting the dishes from the table while Morgana darted between his feet. Futaba snatched up the cat, grinning over to Akira. “I’m taking Mona tonight.”

“Okay, don’t forget to bring him back.” Akira turned on the hot water and Goro watched from the bar. His arm was still hidden from the world. If anyone ever questioned him about it, then Goro would just have to kill them. He wouldn't let anything happen to Akira. Watching him risk his life in the Arena was one of the scariest moments of his life. The only reason he didn't jump into that pit was because the guard pulled him back down. Maybe he didn't deserve to die, but he needed to. It was just a necessary step to save Akira. "You look deep in thought, are you okay?" Goro blinked a few times, trying to tear his eyes from the bandage. He could hear the water turn off. He heard Akira sigh and watched the younger man walk closer to him. "Come here, honey," he whispered. He pulled Goro into a tight hug, rubbing his back and cradling his head, gently rubbing at the strands. "None of this was your fault. If anything, I'm thankful that they picked me because everything turned out okay. I'm still alive, aren't I?"

Goro shut his eyes, letting him breathe in the smell of Akira. "I know," Goro said, tightening his fists at his side, "If anyone tries to hurt you, I'll massacre them."

"You know, I don't think being a hired hitman means you have to enjoy killing people."

"Zombies aren't people and some people deserve to die anyway." Akira, for some reason, decided to smile down at him. "When I find Shido, I'm going to ruin everything he's built for himself. I don't care how many of his followers or bystanders have to die for it. Shido will die by my hands." 

Akira laughed, cupping Goro's face with his hands and pressing a soft kiss to his nose. "Talking about murdering your dad is all fine and dandy, but it isn't my favorite foreplay." Goro's face turned red. Ah, right. "You were very patient tonight, but I still couldn't keep my hands off of you." Akira dropped his hands to Goro's hips, pushing him against the bar. "You're such a liar, it pisses me off." Akira's voice was low and his mouth pressed against Akira's ear. "You have no idea." 

Goro smiled, pushing Akira back. "Well, that is rather unfortunate then, huh?" He moved to pat Akira on the chest, getting his wris grabbed in the process. His grip was tight, fingers digging into his arm. Goro tugged it back but Akira didn't budge. "No offense to you, but I highly doubt that Sakura-san would be very happy with us dirtying up his café. Shall we take this upstairs?" Akira raised his brow at Goro, releasing his wrist.

The walk upstairs was too long for Goro. He could fell Akira's light grip, tugging him up the steps and nearly making him trip over himself. He barely got to the finaly step before Akira was on him, pushing him against the railing. The old wood creaked and Goro didn't care enough to be worried. Akira's mouth was warm, moving against his. The wood creaked again when Akira pushed Goro's wrists against it, pushing his tongue into Goro's mouth. "So... impatient," Goro strained against Akira, trying to lift his hands. 

"Only for you, honey." His voice was low, muffled against Goro's lips. He dropped his head, pressing wet kisses on Goro's jaw and neck, soft hair brushing against his face. Goro bit back a moan. "Don't move your hands." The pressure was gone, but Goro grippe the railing as tight as he could. The rough wood dug into his palms. He ignored the skin to focus on Akira's hands rubbing his sides, warm fingers slipping beneath the shirt. Goro moaned, biting down on his lip to stifle it. He could feel Akira smile against his neck before he bit down.

"Ah!" Goro yelped, neck stinging. Akira's canines were sharp and he grazed them along Goro's collarbone. "W-Why are you going so slow...?"

"Because, _honey,_ I told you I would ruin you and... I wanna take my time with it." Akira ground their hips together, pulling a long moan out of Goro. He grabbed Goro's ass, squeezing it tightly as he pulled him closer. Goro kept his hands on the railing, tilting his head back and letting his mouth open. It's been... months since the apocalypse and Goro hadn't had the time to get off. "You're so cute. I've barely touched you and you're practically drooling."

"Sh-Shut up." 

Akira frowned, twisting a hand into Goro's hair and pulling his head down to face him. "Watch it." He pulled back, dragging Goro by the hair to his bed. Goro smirked when he hit the sheets, flipping onto his back and throwing his shirt over his head. Akira grabbed his ankle, wrapping it around his hips and dropping down to press his tongue into Goro's mouth. "Such a good boy," he whispered, "You like being called that, don't you?'

Goro nodded, slipping his own hands under Akira's shirt. His body was so hot compared to Goro's. He could feel the ridges of his muscles as he pulled the shirt over Akira's head. He drank in the sight of Akira's smooth skin and hard lines. It was only a moment of staring at him before Akira dropped back down and took one of Goro's nipples into his mouth. "Ah-Aki," Goro whimpered, digging his fingers into Akira's soft hair. 

"Aki? I like that." Akira bit down, taking the other nipple between his fingers. Goro moaned, arching into the hot mouth of his sensitive skin. Akira left marks on Goro's chest, pulling down his pants and throwing them somewhere into the void. The floor... but who cares. Goro was painfully hard, cock red and leaking precum onto his stomach. "So cute."

"I'm not cute."

Akira hummed, reaching over to his drawer and digging through some of the trash. "I'm glad I grabbed this when we first got to Central Street. I thought it'd be funny." He pulled out a full bottle of lube, snapping the cap open and leaning over Goro. "Have you ever done anything with yourself?" Goro nodded slowly, watching Akira drip the thick liquid into his fingers. "How about anyone else?" Goro shook his head. 

Goro spread his legs around Akira, accepted the soft kiss and--"Fuck!" Akira's finger slipped inside of him. The lube was cold. So cold. Akira laughed against his lips, shoving his tongue into his mouth. "Mmph, Aki... Please... More..." Akira added a second finger, scissoring and pushing them inside of Goro until Goro moaned especially loud. He arched into the touch, digging fingernails into Akira's back. "Fuck, fuck... Please, I'm ready enough just... _fuck me."_

Akira let his pants fall to the floor, pressing a kiss to Goro's forehead as he spread lube over his dick. "Tell me if you want me to wait or anything, okay?" Goro nodded frantically, pulling Akira by the arms as he lined himself up. He pressed in, watching Goro's face contort in pleasure, drinking in the sound of the perfect detective prince's moans. "Fuck... you feel so good, honey." Akira dug his nails into Goro's thighs, pulling his asscheeks apart to thrust deeper into him. 

Goro couldn't control his moaning, watching Akira through hooded eyes. "Aki~ Fuck! Please, god, fuck!" Akira pulled his legs over his shoulders, leaning down enough to make out with Goro. He felt the vibrations of Akira's low groans, drowned out by the skin-on-skin slapping and old bed creaking. Goro squeezed his eyes shut, wrapping his arms around Akira's shoulders. "Please... please, I'm so close. Just--fuck--Aki--" Goro tensed around Akira, cum squirting out over his and Akira's stomach and chest. 

A few hard thrusts later and Akira pulled out just in time to cum over Goro's chest. He moaned, heaving deep breaths and dropping his head into Goro's shoulder. He could hear Goro's heartbeat, thumping hard against his ribcage. "I'm gonna... grab a towel..." 

"Yeah... Th-Thank you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I haven't written smut in like 3 years so i hope its good bc i wanna include more of it in the story as their relationship progresses. sorry for the wait on it i was nervous


	25. The National Diet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oops i've been gone for forever teehee it was lack of inspiration sowwy ily guys

Goro dropped his last bag on one of the counters in the RV. The National Diet Building was Shido's office and Goro knew that he would be able to find something related to where he would have gone. He took the journal out of his bag, going through the pages. It talked about a community of people behind walls, how they planned on starting a greenhouse system, all of the new families... Mouths to feed. "The military compound with the arena might have information on the Minister," Goro said, "We should go there after the National Diet."

Akira nodded, looking down at Goro from where he stood. Even after all the peace, he was still determined to find Shido. Akira couldn't fault him for it, but he had hoped that Goro would settle down with him rather than chasing after adrenaline every day. He patted Goro's head, looking over to where Makoto sat in the driver's seat. "National Diet Building, Makoto," Akira called out, "Don't kill us, okay?"

Goro sat down on one of the couches in the corner, looking out the window. He could see Takemi's Clinic, the line forming outside the door, and the children running around. It was unfair. Kids shouldn't have to go through something like this, something so traumatic and life-changing that it'll change them forever. They're gonna grow up ad they're going to kill someone. It isn't even a question for Goro. He knows they'll kill someone. Akira killed someone on day one. 

His legs were lifted from the couch and Akira sat down next to him, placing Goro's legs over his lap. "You okay?" Akira's voice was soft. It wasn't really a question Goro could answer. Finding Shido was not going to be easy and getting to him was going to be even harder. He was a heavily protected man. The Minister seemed like a good suspect. His goal was to become the Prime Minister of Japan and it wasn't too big of a stretch to assume he would try to get that power back to him. 

"I appreciate your help." Goro dodged the question and he knew that Akira noticed. "I don't plan on fumbling this. I've waited far too long."

Akira nodded, but he didn't say anything. Goro scooted forward a little, laying his head on Akira's shoulder. It was nice to be held so closely. How much longer would it last when Akira sees how far he's going to go. He's seen Goro furious with Madarame, seen him shoot a man and watch him be eaten, seen him covered in sewage and blood... and he still chose Goro. He could have been with anyone, really. Goro fisted Akira's shirt, snuggling closer.

"Y'all are gross." Ryuji sat on the couch across from them with Ann and Yusuke. He was sipping on a grape juice box, leaning against the wall like Goro was. Ann slapped his knee.

"You're just jealous that they have a relationship and you don't." Ryuji's face flushed and he shoved Ann. She didn't move much since she was sitting between him and Yusuke. "Aw, you're embarrassed!" She squeezed his cheek and Goro couldn't help but smile a little. They seemed close. 

Growing up in foster care, Goro wasn't used to seeing close friendships up close. He always knew that they existed, but he didn't know that it could happen to him. Akira shifted a little, lightly tracing his fingers on Goro's arm as he spoke. "I've never been to the Diet building," he said, "I knew a guy who worked there and he was gonna run for the election, but I've never actually been there."

"Who do you know from the Diet?" Yusuke beat Goro to the question. How did Akira know so many people in Tokyo from just the few weeks he'd been here. His first day at school was the first day of the apocalypse. 

"Oh, Toranosuke Yoshida." Yoshida? The last Goro heard of the name was when he was blamed for the missing party funds. Of course, that guy could never be responsible for that. He was far too nice and too honest to steal money. "I was helping him campaign and do speeches at Station Square." How in the hell did he meet so many people so quickly? 

He was truly an enigma. Akira was such a people person and he was just so kind to everyone, so unbothered by his own issues. Just a little bit more and Goro could finally be done with everything. 

The Diet Building was just as big and intimidating as it's always been. The gates were still standing firm and the windows were all intact. Goro had gotten used to walking up to it often. He always went right up to Shido's office, never speaking to anyone or even looking them in the eye. He wasn't allowed to. Drawing any unwanted attention to Shido was not in Goro's best interest. According to him. Of course, Goro's best interest was none of his concern. Goro stared up at it, pushing his gloves hands into his pockets. "Whoa!" Ann's eyes were full of wonder. "This place is so cool!" 

Right. Cool. It was somewhere to go on field trips and learn about the Prime Minister and look at all the cool Diet things. Goro's class went when his mother was still alive, but Goro was forbidden to go. He didn't know why for years. The steel gate was chained shut and Goro walked over to the security box. It was all just a process for him. This building was his least favorite place in Japan. Well... Maybe his apartment was his least favorite. Just knowing that Shido paid for it and for his expenses made Goro's stomach turn. He looked into the security box, frowning at the glass. He wouldn't be able to break it. "Akira, come open the door."

Akira looked away from his friends. The wind blew in his messy hair and he moved his hand to hold it away. How... cute. Somehow, Akira still managed to be as mesmerizing as he was when they first met. Goro could remember it vaguely, but it wasn't usually something he dwelled on. The cold weather was good for Akira to hide his 'injury'. The others haven't asked them about it and Futaba was the only one who knew. She was currently next to Yusuke, using him as a source of warmth. It was almost concerning to Goro how young she was. Akira poked Goro's cheek when he got close enough, taking his attention away from the group.

"I could just get the chain on the gate open, you know." Akira brandished his lockpick, one of the many that he kept with him, along with his reliable one that didn't break. 

"The security box opens a smaller gate for personal entry. It would be safer than to have the bigger gate open." It wasn't commonly known. It should though. Did everyone just expect them to open the big gate for every single employee? Absolutely not. That was ridiculous! The public was definitely not something he had much faith in. "The cold is probably keeping the zombies at bay. Their bodies will be more preserved, but I doubt their movements will be as simple."

"We can never be too careful." Akira kneeled next to the door, sticking the lockpick in and shuffling it around. He always did it so fast. Goro wanted to ask Akira to teach him, but... that would be so embarrassing. Akira being his official boyfriend didn't change much about his own reservations. At some point, Akira wouldn't be able to stand who Goro truly was. He wasn't ready for that to happen... Akira looked up at him from his kneeling position, a lopsided smile on his face and some adorable squint in his eyes. Maybe he wouldn't leave. Just get to Shido and everything would be okay.

Goro entered the security box, turning on his flashlight. The gate controls were probably broken from the lack of electricity, but they should still have a key. Goro pushed some of the papers around on the desk. These kinds of places were hubs of information from the past. There was a newspaper with April dated across the top, American Easter candy was left open on the desk beneath the monitor. "You think these are still good?" Akira plucked a pink egg from the container, squeezing it between his fingers. 

Goro slapped it to the ground. "Are you stupid? Of course not!" Akira laughed, dropping himself into the swivel chair to lean over the papers. The logbook to sign in was still open and Goro's name was listed close to the top the day of the apocalypse. He had to meet with Shido that morning about a new job. Principal Kobayakawa was next. Goro's work with the Yakuza was helping him get away from Shido's influence and they were going to use him to kill Shido. It was just another group of people using Goro for their own gain.

He looked over to the others, sitting in a circle on the pavement and talking. Everything they had was something Goro always thought would be impossible. Just a little bit longer and he could fully accept it. Goro crouched under the desk, pulling open drawers until he found a ring of keys. Holy shit, why were there so many? It was on top of a leather-bound journal, something kept by the security guard from months ago. There wasn't anything interesting in the pages, but there was a decent insight into his daily life. Not that Goro cared even a little bit. 

"I found the keys." Goro held the ring up, looking through each one. None of them were labeled. What the fuck? How would anyone know what key to use?! 

"Why didn't you just ask me to pick the gate lock?" Akira leaned over the armrest, tilting his head and resting his chin on his hand. 

"A damaged lock won't hold and we can't guarantee that there won't be dead coming towards the building." Goro stood up, stretching his legs before outstretching a hand to Akira so he could stand faster. "Let's head back to the others." 

Akira frowned, twirling dramatically on his toes as he pressed his back against the closed door. Goro pressed his brows together, glancing towards the window. Was Akira...? Everyone would be able to see them! Akira looped his fingers into Goro's belt loops, pulling him closer to press their lips together. "Ah-Akira! Everyone is out there!" Goro pulled back to see a pouting Akira staring right at him. He was probably so red. 

"You're so easy to fluster, honey," he said, "Everyone sees you so put together and confident... some sexy badass who never misses a shot, but... you're so shy when it comes to me. I feel so special." Akira pressed a gentle hand to Goro's cheek, kissing the tip of his red nose. "You're right. We should get back to them."

Right... Akira let Goro exit first, slapping his ass on the way out. Goro tried not to jump, sending a faux glare to the idiot behind him. How long were they in there? It couldn't have been very long at all, but the others looked bored out of their minds. Goro was always impatient as a child, but he needed to learn when he became a hitman. He needed to wait for his target to get close enough to him, far enough away from backup, hidden from nosey eyes. "God, finally!" Futaba groaned, "Let's go!"

Goro tried the keys to the gate, cringing at the loud creak of iron. It hasn't been used in months. "So, did you ever visit the Diet?" Makoto's question was directed to Goro. He didn't know whether to reply honestly or not. He visited Shido every two weeks to collect his paycheck and to attend their meetings before heading straight to Iwai to tell him all about what he heard. Goro let the Yakuza carry out the dirty work for Shido, keeping clear of Shido's Cleaner, but Goro was their hitman. Makoto was still looking at him as they walked towards the boarded up front door. Oh, fuck.

"I had to come up here a few times, but it was always business. I never had the chance to truly look around."

"Why do you need to come here to find your father anyway? Is he a politician?" Only the most prolific politician in Japan. Masayoshi Shido had big goals and Goro wanted to ruin every single one of them. They couldn't know that. They wouldn't help if they knew it was a murder mission. 

"Um, yes, he did. I know where to go, but I'd rather enter his office on my own if that's alright."

"Alone? No way."

Damn Akira. Goro grit his teeth, forcing a smile on his lips. "It's... really personal. I don't want to get emotional and I want to be able to look at everything how it was." Goro was going to tear that place apart just because he could. There was so much in that office that Shido kept to look more powerful and official and put-together and Goro wanted it all shattered and broken into pieces. He couldn't fucking stand looking at how pristine that bastard's office was when he left Goro and his mother to rot in some fucked apartment in the city, when he was abandoned into foster care keeping his clothes in a garbage bag. Shido deserved nothing but the worst and Goro would go above and beyond to get there. 


	26. The Private Office of Masayoshi Shido

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> not me being gone for months again

Akira took in the sight of the National Diet Building, drinking in the beautiful sight of it. God, he sounded like Yusuke. Goro's eyes were almost blank while they walked towards it, glazed over with his fists clenched by his sides. Akira reached a hand to grasp his, feeling the other jump. He gave Goro's hand a squeeze. "You okay?" He kept his voice quiet, lagging behind the others on the way up the steps. 

Goro snatched his hand away, averting his eyes to the towering front door. "Of course I'm fine," he hissed, "Don't worry about me." Akira could admit that the building had an intimidating aura. Nobody knew what could be behind the doors. It could be a preserved sight of the old world or it could be a hellscape of the dead. He was almost scared of pushing forward. Ann tugged on the door, huffing and gripping it tighter, leaning back on her heels until her hands gave out.

"AH!" Ryuji caught her beneath her arms, a burning sensation shooting up his leg. "Ryuji? Are you alright?!" Ann stumbled back to her feet, pushing on Ryuji's shoulder and forearm as he gripped his thigh. 

"I-I'm fine... It just felt weird..." He spoke through gritted teeth, squeezing his eyes shut. "I think it's locked."

Goro rolled his eyes, pressing his back against the door and leaning. "It's a push door." It swung open slowly, loud creaks echoing into the dirty hallway. Dead leaves and dirt covered the floor, some old blood was spread across the walls and decorations. Akira frowned, following the trail with his eyes until it disappeared into a closed door. Goro looked around the hallway, at the chandelier that collapsed into the floor, spreading glass across the entire hall. It was hard to look at. It was an extremely important building for Japan, for _Goro,_ and it was torn up and left in a disgusting sight. 

Shido's office was on the second floor and access to the tower area was restricted. That didn't mean that they couldn't go look at the city from up there now. Goro stepped over the broken metal frame of the chandelier, kicking it against the wall and scraping the dirty tiles. The Thieves watched Goro walk ahead of them, unbothered by the state of the National Diet. Futaba nudged Akira with her elbow, pulling him to a stop so they would lag behind. 

"He lied, didn't he? About why we're here." She kept her voice low and Akira nodded in response. "Why are we really here, then?"

"It's not my place to say." Akira rubbed his bandages idly, watching his boyfriend closely. It wasn't far off from how he acted when they first met. Goro was just as closed off as he was back then, he just showed himself to Akira the most. If it was Goro's comfort zone, then Akira wouldn't force him to be that way with everyone else. The others were good people, obviously, but Goro didn't have to trust them. Akira wished he would. 

The place looked clear of zombies. It was quiet. He looked up at the stairs, a heavy weight settling in his stomach. Shido used him for his own gain. He'd be given assignments and he would walk to the National Diet Building to confirm a kill in person. Goro's place in the Yakuza was to get rid of Shido, to give them information on what he was planning, to give them people to protect. Goro wanted to frame them for Shido's death, but the man with the gecko tattoo was the closest thing to a father figure that he ever had. Iwai... hopefully he was okay out there... somewhere. 

He took the first step, pausing with his hand on the railing as the others passed him. They were talking and laughing about something Ryuji said, Morgana, perched on Futaba's shoulder, meowed loudly. Akira placed a hand on Goro's shoulder, not saying a word. He understood anyway. Akira gave him a smile and Goro didn't return it, but he continued going up the stairs. 

"Shit!" Makoto fell backward, a scream ripping out of her as she held back a zombie. Goro could hear an ugly crack when she hit her head against the floor. "Shit! Shit! Shit!" She wrestled with it, kicking her feet against its chest until Ryuji kicked it in the side of the head. The zombie fell to Goro and he shoved it away from him, jumping off the step he was on and landing on its head. The rotted brains splattered across the tile, dripping off the bottom of Goro's shoe. "Holy shit... It came out of nowhere."

"That's why you scope it out, genius," Goro rolled his eyes, "Zombies mutate. It's a product of its environment and it probably adapted to being quiet. That's why you _look!"_ Goro looked over to her crumpled form, sitting and panting on the ground with wide eyes. Her eyes hardened at Goro's gaze.

"Don't turn this on me! You would've gotten surprised too!" She got back to her feet, storming to Goro to look down at him from her step. "Just because you were a detective doesn't make you better than me!"

"Maybe not, but me going out on missions instead of crying in the corner _does,"_ Goro smirked at her. Makoto was never good at hiding her dislike for him. It was almost surprising how long they went without speaking to each other too much. She grit her teeth, baring them at Goro with her fists clenched by her sides. 

"Uh... we can all just agree to be more careful..." Ann let out a nervous laugh, pulling Makoto's arms until she stepped back from Goro. Akira did the same, stepping in and holding Goro's hand despite him fighting against it. 

"No way! I'm _sick_ of this guy always acting like he's better than everyone!" Well, at least she was honest. "Screw you, Akechi! I'm only here because of my friends, I could give less of a shit about what happens to you and your little _sob_ story!" 

Goro didn't say anything, still trying to weasel his hand away from Akira's. Yusuke stepped between the two of them, allowing Ann to put space between Makoto and Goro. "She's just a little shaken up, are you alright?"

"Oh, I'm fine," Goro said, "One zombie won't send me into a frenzy like that anyway. It seems Makoto has gone from one extreme to the other. It's quite alright, I prefer her to be useful anyway." 

"Okayyy, let's just keep moving." Akira pushed Goro up the stairs, looking down the hallway and checking around the corners before allowing Goro to walk in front of him. Akira could take a zombie bite, Goro couldn't. None of them could, really. His hearing, somehow better than it had been before, could pick up Makoto's quiet whispers to Ann. It was a little irritating to hear one of his friends complaining about his boyfriend without knowing the full story, but he shouldn't even be able to hear their conversation in the first place. 

Shido's office was behind a heavy set of double doors. Goro stood about an inch away from it, glaring at the golden doorknobs with his hand hovering over it. Why was he shaking so much? Dammit. "I'd rather go in there myself... if you don't mind. Feel free to explore... take the opportunity to actually look at everything instead of some boring field trip."

"Yeah, you probs want space, huh?" Ryuji nudged Akira before taking a few steps back. "We'll be in some of these rooms. Scream if you need help."

"I can handle myself, thank you." Goro could feel the eyes on him. What if... Shido was still there? What if he was already dead? Goro wouldn't even be able to get the satisfaction of killing his zombie. Did he even want to know? 

Akira cast Goro a final look before following his friends into the closest office. Goro managed to glance back long enough to see him go. He _needed_ this. There was no way he could enjoy a life in Backstreets without the confirmation that Shido was rotting in hell for his crimes. Goro grabbed the doorknob, twisting it and listening to the quiet creak in the wood. He took a deep breath before pushing it open, revealing the office he hated being so familiar with. it was still perfectly clean, save for a few papers scattered on the coffee table. 

He stepped forward, crushing the carpet that gave him rugburn. It was... his second mission that Shido sent him on and he failed. Those bodyguards really didn't hold back with beating up a child. Goro held himself back from kicking the door shut, choosing to quietly shut it and to not draw the attention of the others. It was far too quiet in the building. Just one zombie so far? Maybe they were holed up somewhere in a panic room. The important figures were probably airlifted out the second anything was whispered about danger nearby. Bastard.

Goro sat on the black leather couch, stacking the papers and looking over each sheet for something useful. A panic plan... a letter... an email. Goro snapped his eyes to the laptop. Would there even be a charge? This damned place. Goro threw the papers on the ground, watching it spread on the stupid rug. Stupid coffee table. This fucking place was too nice for Shido. Goro frowned, crashing into the chair and kicking off all the stupid file organizers and shit to the ground. He liked how it sounded, echoing in the empty room. He opened the laptop, holding down the power button until the low battery symbol appeared on the screen. There was still some left? Damn, it was password protected. He must have seen Shido type it in before, right? There wasn't much that he cared about besides himself. Maybe... his birthday? No. His mother's? Who was he kidding? Goro hovered his fingers over the keyboard. Masayoshi Shido was a paranoid man, but he only cared about himself in the long run. 

The day of the election?

Goro's heart stopped when he saw the home screen. He tapped his fingers against the polished desk, scratching into the wood. The curser was shaking as Goro moved it. Emails. Everything he needed to know was in here. He plugged it up to the charger just in case. There should still be a backup generator working in the building. Oh, good. _Paradise?_ If Goro was stupid, he wouldn't look at it. It was the most recent email from a name he did not recognize.

_To the future Prime Minister,_

_The outbreak has caused a lot of uproar in our people, making them desperate for safety. The others and I have found a good area in need of a leader. Meet us in Satoyama._

Ha. Of course. Leave it to Shido to have other people find him a place to hide. Hida-Furukawa was where Goro needed to go, then. He scrolled down the emails, sparing a few glances at anything important before yanking the charger out of the outlet. He wasn't stupid enough to leave it there. He wasn't stupid like Shido. Goro grabbed Shido's golden name plaque from the desk, squeezing it in his hand until the urge was too overwhelming. He threw it into the glass award case, watching it shatter on the carpet. He didn't deserve a single fucking award. Goro ripped them off its shelf, the old nails falling and collapsing the entire case against the ground. His heart rate was picking up.

Goro kicked the coffee table over, grabbing one of the legs and launching the damned thing against the wall. It put a hole in the weak drywall. Shido always messed with these ugly fucking bookshelves, dragging his disgusting finger against the spines. Oh, he'd be _pissed_ if he saw them with the pages shredded out and thrown across his office. Goro cursed, pulling the bookshelf until he watched it collapse into the black couch, eyes wide with a massive smile. He couldn't help but laugh, Oh, he'd be livid. He'd probably rip out his eyebrows, not having any other hair left on his head to pull out. 

Fuck him. Fuck him. Fuck him. Fuck him. Fuck him! Goro was going to kill this man and he was going to enjoy every second of it. He smashed his foot through the back of the bookcase, heaving out massive breaths. He laughed, tears falling out of his eyes. He wrenched his fingers into his hair, pulling at the root just to feel something there other than the tingling numbness in his fingers. Goro leaned his back against the wall, sliding down as he stared at the broken glass. He couldn't stop laughing, hiccuping over his tears, heart pounding in his chest. It was so loud. His head felt like it was going to explode. 

He kicked the bookshelf repeatedly, slamming the sole of his shoe against it and listening to the unsatisfying bangs. He let his head hit the wall. Again. Again. One more time. Harder. Fuck. Why was he still feeling like this? His hands were stained with the blood of so many people and none of them were as significant as this one will be. He's going to die. He's going to kill him. He's going to make him suffer in the worst ways Goro could think of. Oh, his heart felt like it was going to burst.

Goro didn't hear the door open, only looking over when he saw movement in his peripheral. Oh... Akira. What a sight he must be. How long was Goro sitting here? He must have looked like such a mess, sitting in a destroyed office. His knees were pulled up to his chest and his face was wet and red and... was he bleeding? Goro didn't remember hitting anything. His hands were bleeding and his knuckles were bright red and bruised. Was he hitting anything? Dammit. Stupid bad memory.

"I... heard banging... I thought something happened." Akira looked behind him before walking further into the office, stepping over books that Goro sent flying. "Did you find anything important?"

"Satoyama... the villages... It's in Hida-Furukawa." Goro felt like he was speaking through jelly. Akira sat next to him, close enough for their feet to touch. "I want him dead, Akira."

"We'll find him, I promise." Akira looked up at the ceiling. "The others are worried. I'm a little surprised at how easy it was to get here."

"There's no way they let zombies in during the initial outbreak. I think that one from earlier may have been some idiot looking for shelter. It's getting cold now." Goro closed his eyes, exhaustion washing over his body. His eyes felt so heavy. Maybe the emotional outburst was too much for him to handle right now. Akira pulled Goro's arm over his shoulder, lifting the other boy. His eyes were fluttering and he was whispering something that Akira couldn't make out.

"Let's get to Hida-Furukawa, then." He stepped over the books, sparing a glance towards the desk. Oh. "Hey, Futaba! Can you grab that laptop for the ride?" The redhead peeked her head around the door, a random tie wrapped around her head. Did she find that? She looked at Goro and then at the mess in the office. 

"Uh, sure thing." She hopped over the furniture, grabbing the items off the desk. "Gross, this thing is so old. How'd everything stay so maintained anyway?"

"People probably just didn't come here." She bounded next to Akira, following him to the neighboring office where Makoto was ranting about Goro. Her voice was pretty loud from outside. Did Goro hear any of it? Whatever. They had to get to wherever it is that Shido was hiding. Goro deserved closure. His only goal in life has been revenge and he wouldn't be able to rest until he got it. Akira didn't like it. Obviously, he didn't. But Goro's happiness was the most important thing right now. 


	27. Toshima City Detour

Akira was getting tired. He was sick of the trees blending together and the sound of arguing from everyone who was equally as tired. He was half tuned out until he heard Goro's voice over all the noise. "Not every different idea is a personal attack, Niijima." Akira pulled his eyes away from the window. Goro was reading a book with his legs on the seat and Makoto was slouching against the counter. 

"And not every conversation is an invitation."

Akira tried to act like he wasn't being nosey. He readjusted himself, leaning more against the window and propping his head on his elbow. "Please, it's an open space and I haven't heard you stop talking once. You're giving me a headache." Akira watched from the corner of his eye. Goro folded the corner of his page before setting it down on the floor. He folded his hands into his lap.

"God, you are _such_ an asshole, you know that? Every time you open your mouth, it's some snide fucking remark that doesn't even involve you."

"Taking your frustrations out on Ryuji doesn't mean it doesn't involve me. Maybe you should consider other people's feelings before bitching about the slightest inconvenience."

Makoto threw her own book against the wall, "Fuck you, okay? Fuck. You!"

The RV swerved to the side, launching Akira off his seat before it moved to the there side and sent Goro to the same floor. Akira could hear yelling from Makoto. There was cursing and Akira tried to push himself to his feet. Then his feet weren't on the ground. Things were moving so fast and he couldn't even tell how long it was. All Akira knew was that he was spinning and different parts of his body were slamming against different parts of the RV. 

He could hear screaming. Was it him? Akira grabbed at something, anything until his body hit the window and he could hear shattering. Glass cut into his arm before he hit the hard ground with a thud. Fuck. Akira rolled on his back, dirt and glass falling over him. He watched with glazed eyes as the RV rolled further away from him, hitting an old telephone pole to make it stop. What the hell? Akira looked around the street. Zombies. Lots and lots of zombies bumped into each other on their way to the destroyed RV.

Shit. Shit! Akira groaned when he moved, pushing himself on his hands and knees. Noise. He needs to draw them away. Why wasn't he moving?! "Hey! Over here, assholes!" He drew the attention of one, but that wasn't enough. Akira took a deep breath, screaming at the top of his lungs until his throat was raw. He didn't see anything move next to the RV. Was everyone okay? Please be okay. Akira struggled to his feet, stumbling back to put space between himself and the zombies that pushed towards him. 

He could see someone pop out from a broken window. Futaba. She looked at him with wide eyes. Akira could see the whites in them. He was too far away to see anything more. She mouthed something, but he couldn't tell what it was. "Go! I'll meet you guys at... at Toshima Hospital that way!" He pointed as he yelled, turning and running as fast as he could in the opposite direction. 

Futaba was yelling. She didn't know what she was yelling in particular, but she couldn't stop. "What the fuck?!" She punched out bits of the broken window, watching Akira's retreating form with all the zombies following after him. He might be immune but he could still be ripped apart out there! Futaba looked around the RV, finding every single one of them laying across some random piece of furniture or just on the floor. She kicked Ryuji in the ribs until he groaned, shaking Ann by her shoulders. "Guys! Wake up! Hello?!" 

She heard Goro groan and he sat up. He was rubbing his face and head, smearing blood all over his hands. "Christ, what happened?"

"We crashed and Akira took off, told us to meet him at Toshima Hospital." Futaba watched Goro's head shoot up, swimming his head around to look at everyone in the RV. Yusuke stumbled out from the front, mumbling apologies and looking lost. Holy shit, was anyone seriously injured?

"To...Shima? Ran?" Goro spoke slowly, blinking around. "Akira? Idiot... Doesn't he know he's not immortal?" Goro stood up slowly, the chorus of awakening teenagers grumbling in varying states of pain. Futaba heard Ryuji yell and she managed to pry her eyes away from the window to look. He had a gash across his cheek, leaking blood all over his jaw and neck. It was a centimeter away from his right eye. "Ryuji!" Goro grabbed his face, angling his face until he got a good look at the cut.

"Christ, man, don't be so--ah!--rough!" 

"Not deep, but needs to be cleaned," Goro frowned, "Ann, you up? Grab me my bag."

Ann sat up more, squinting at Goro, "Make sure you give yourself a band-aid too, Detective." She crawled towards Goro's school bag, pushing it until it was within Goro's grip. She pulled her hair out of the ties, letting it fall over her shoulders before gently shaking Makoto's shoulder. "Hey," she said softly, "You okay?"

"Mm..? Ann...? Is everything okay?"

Ugh, Jesus. Futaba went over to Yusuke, who was being painfully neglected, and sat next to him against the ground. "It came out of nowhere..." Yusuke was whispering, holding his own arms. Futaba looked around at everything that had fallen in the RV. 

"It's not your fault, Yu." She pulled her legs up and put her hands on her knees. "These things happen and everyone's okay, so nothing's too lost."

"This was my mother's. Madarame was using it and... I destroyed it. Akira's gone."

"Akira will be _fine,_ trust me." Futaba nudged his shoulder, keeping a close distance between them. "We're going to meet him at the hospital and we'll all be okay!"

Futaba rubbed Yusuke's arm, offering him a smile every time he raised his eyes. The older teen dropped his head onto Futaba's shoulder without warning and she managed to hold in a squeak. _This is not happening, this is not happening!_ She looked over to the others in the group, holding his arm tightly before letting her head rest on his as well. He could just be feeling sad and alone, but Futaba was there. She caught Goro's eye and stuck her tongue out when he raised his eyebrows at the sight.

"Alright, done." Goro looked at his handiwork of bandaging. It wasn't the best, but at least Ryuji wouldn't be getting an infection. It wrapped around his head, under his eyes, and going over his nose. Somehow, he managed to look goofy despite the epic connotations of facial bandages. "We can't waste time. Akira's heading to the hospital and we have to meet him there. Don't leave anything in here that you might need. Toothbrushes, toothpaste, guns, and clothes."

"Who made you the leader?" Makoto rolled her eyes at him and Goro offered her his best celebrity smile.

"I have the most experience. Let's not start this again, okay? None of you are well-versed in being out here."

"Like we weren't all in the same place during the outbreak!"

"Yes, Niijima, during the outbreak. You have been enjoying your time in Backstreets, _I_ have actually been putting my life at risk. So, if you want to fight for leadership, since it means _so much_ to you, you can be the leader! I'll concern myself with finding Akira, the _actual_ leader who knows what he's doing. _Your_ friend that you should care about." Goro grabbed his school bag off the ground, zipping it back up and heading towards the door. The RV was upside-down, so he fumbled with it before climbing through the opening. 

Futaba watched the others gather their belongings, nudging Yusuke with her elbow. He hummed in response. "We gotta go, Inari," she said, "We gotta meet up with Akira."

"Inari? Do I look like a fox to you?"

"A little bit in the face, can't describe it." She shrugged, bouncing up on her feet and holding out her hand to Yusuke. Toshima Hospital was probably an hour-long walk and they would need to get a vehicle as fast as possible. Maybe they wouldn't let Yusuke drive this time. He gave Futaba a small smile on his way out, helping her over the jump. Ann shot her a look that brought red to her face.

Akira was not enjoying himself in the slightest. The zombies were still following, but he couldn't tell if it was because of him or just because of the direction. There wasn't much space between them anyway. It wasn't an obscene amount of zombies, nothing close to a horde, but they would eat him in seconds. He ran into the forest, diving under a fallen tree and feeling rocks scrape against his palms. "Fuck," he hissed, clambering back up to his feet. He ducked around, trying to head into a direction that would be closer to the hospital instead of further away. 

Why did he have to be the hero again? Goro would call him a selfless fool. He didn't even have a weapon! Akira didn't see the zombies following him, mostly just going into the forest instead of the turn that Akira made. The wet grumble of a nearby zombie made him jump, barely escaping the reaching grasp of one. It looked normal... maybe except for the hard shell of rotting armor that covered half of its face and arm. It looked like... it had been festering and grew into a tree instead of rotting properly. Maybe Akira's smell broke it free. He shoved it back by its chest, grabbing a decent-sized rock and standing over it.

He kicked its face, jumping on its arms so it couldn't claw him, and smashed in the fucker's face with the rock. Black blood splattered on Akira's face and the rolled-back eyes popped out disgustingly. Akira could admit when something was gross. This was gross. 

Were the others okay at least? They weren't completely overrun, but that didn't mean that the crash didn't kill them. It was bad. Akira's entire right side ached, but he couldn't stop moving. Toshima City wasn't too far away from where they were. Maybe. Akira didn't know too much. Inaba was such a peaceful town. After the mysterious murders, that is. Rise was the only person that didn't end up shunning him. Her family and her friends said goodbye at the train station and Akira knew that he would never see them again.

He stopped running, taking careful and quiet steps through the moist dirt. He had been in Tokyo for a while before school started. He arrived in April, but he didn't end up going to school at first. It was slightly annoying. His first day of school ended up being his last. Was his family okay back home? Ugh, he hated being alone. If he was alone, then he had to deal with his thoughts. Those stupid, intrusive, annoying thoughts about his past and his family that didn't even care enough about him to pick him up from jail. He walked home. He walked home in the pouring rain just to find out that his house key didn't fit and his shit was packed into a cardboard box on its way to Tokyo.

"Shit." He slumped against a tree, sparing a glance over to a small clearing. A campsite? What the hell? Akira moved from the tree, stepping over a log until he could see the whole site. There was a small area for a fire with a bag and some gas littered around the area. He looked around, blowing on the dead fire. Embers. It was fresh. Someone was just here... and they left their stuff. Who would be alright with staying in the middle of the woods? Akira poked the embers with a random stick, eyeing the area around him. He _could_ look through their bag and get a weapon, or he could wait and ask for directions. Maybe even help. God, his body hurt.

Akira heard some shuffling in the brush, jumping up to his feet with the stick. What the hell was a stick gonna do for him? 

"What the--who are you?!" It was a woman. She was blonde and young with a headband around her forehead. Not very threatening in a judgmental and probably sexist sense, but Akira didn't really trust that.

"Uh, I'm Akira... Kurusu... I was traveling with my friends and we crashed and now we're separated... I was kinda hoping maybe you'd know how to get to Toshima Hospital?" He didn't sound trustworthy at all. The soft-spoken woman narrowed her eyes at him, reaching for the gun in her waistband. "W-Wait! I'm not lying, I swear! I... I'm from Shibuya, I went to Shujin, um, I think you look familiar?"

"I look familiar? Do you think I'm stupid?"

"No! Of course not! I think I saw you around Shinjuku." Yeah, Shinjuku. "You... you offered to read my fortune, told me I was going to face ruin. It was like my first day in Tokyo."

"And because I saw you in passing, you think I should trust your word?! Leave now!"

Akira pushed his hair out of his face, plopping down in the dirt. Please don't shoot him, please don't shoot him. "I just wanna get back to my friends... do you have a bandage, by any chance?"

"You will leave then?"

"Of course... I like living." The woman took slow steps towards her bag, snatching it up and lowering her gun. Akira felt himself exhale. She pulled out a deck of tarot cards, placing them carefully on a laid-out fabric. "Do you still read fortunes? I wouldn't be too against it." She shot him an annoyed look. "Uh, okay, never mind."

"It's been a while... Just stay over there." She leaned against the log, setting up her cards on the purple fabric. Seriously? Akira gave her a grin, adjusting himself so he could completely face her. Hopefully, there weren't zombies nearby. She was mumbling to herself, flipping over the cards one at a time. Akira tried to look over and see, but she was too far away. "Ruin is still a high possibility for you... the people closest to you are... going to be in danger. A loss of humanity... You should be careful with the people around you. Is someone you know self-destructive?"

"Uh... my boyfriend?"

"Someone is yearning for violence in your group and that will come back to bite you. You will face ruin. Your fate is absolute." The woman's voice was solemn and Akira really wanted to know whether she could actually get that from the cards or not. 

"Fate's not absolute at all," he said, "I can change it."

"Don't be ridiculous, you can't _change_ fate!"

"Yes, I can! What else do you see?"

She rolled her eyes and looked back down. "A prison cell... a... a bite mark... on your arm..." Her eyes traveled to the bandage. "Y-You're infected!"

Shit. Really?! The woman fumbled around for her gun. "Wait! Don't shoot!" 

"You're going to die! This is humane!"

"I got it weeks ago! It's healed!"

"That's impossible!"

"I'll show you." Akira held his hands up, unclipping the red bandage and unwrapping it slowly. It was longer than he remembered, but at least he could rewrap it again. The woman stared with wide eyes, trembling as each strip fell into his lap. There it was. Akira's bite was completely scabbed over, the skin still raised from the dark tears, and the stitches that Take put it were still there. 

"No way..." She whispered, moving closer to Akira. She was close enough to touch and she grabbed his arm without warning. "You're... a miracle... how is this possible?"

"I guess my fate wasn't as sealed as I thought," he chuckled, "It's five minutes to turn. I haven't felt anything... Do you have a name?"

"Chihaya... My name is Chihaya. Toshima Hospital is that way... Be careful though. Toshima City is run by a deranged community. They act kind and welcoming, but they need to sustain themselves somehow. Population control and... hunger. I saw it in the cards when I was going to pass through. I would not make it. Now I am here, waiting to go around."

Akira looked over to the direction she pointed to. "The entire city?" Hopefully not. Akira didn't want to be the one to send his friends into cannibalism.

"The leader reports to the Minister, but I don't know who that is. I'm trying to gather more information. It's walled off, so it shouldn't be too hard to go around." Wait. The Minister? Chihaya noticed the widening of Akira's eyes, peering into them intensely. "Do you know who the Minister is?"

Akira shook his head slowly, "Not personally, no, but we're trying to find him."

"Why would you do such a thing? He runs these safe zones and allows those corrupt people to run the entire area. He is apathetic to the survivors around him!"

"My boyfriend wants to kill him." Akira watched her face carefully. He can't tell her everything if he can't trust her. She seemed trustworthy enough, being so close to him despite the bite on his arm. Akira looked down at it, rewrapping it in the red bandage. Chihaya nodded, looking down at her lap. "We told my friends that he was looking for his father for a reunion, but he has every intention to kill the man."

Chihaya returned back to her bag, looking through it for medical supplies and a very pretty dagger. It was silver with different colored flowers on the handle. She held the tip of the blade, offering the handle to Akira. It had gold designs swirling around with leaves and thorns. "You have no weapon. You need one to survive."

"Oh, I can't possibly--"

"Take it, Akira-kun," Chihaya shook it, "I have a gun to protect myself, but you only have your hands and your immunity. That doesn't go far." 

Akira took the dagger, touching the blade with his fingers. It was sharp, incredibly so. "Thank you." 

"Do not allow yourself to go down the path of ruin. Protecting your own humanity will keep you sane and will prevent you from becoming the monster that you so fear. This fate is... absolute, but I do hope that you find a way."

Akira nodded, slowly rising to his feet. His body still hurt and he could tell that he was going to bruise horribly, but he needed to get to Toshima Hospital. He needed to warn the others about the community and tell Goro that Shido runs it. Ugh, why did he confide in a stranger like that? Chihaya was easy to talk to and her predictions sent a chill down his spine. Could Goro's vendetta be leading him into the ruin she was talking about? No, that was ridiculous. Akira would go to the ends of the earth for Goro and, of course, for all of his other friends. It was important to Goro so it was important to Akira.

He left the small campsite, feeling a strange energy wash over him when he stepped away from Chihaya. Weird. The zombies seemed to avoid the place. Well, Akira didn't see any and they were in no way quiet. Maybe her divine power had a little more to it than telling fortunes. Akira took a deep breath, walking through the trees towards the city. There was no way he was far from the crash, but they probably all took off already. Hopefully, they grabbed everything they needed. 

"Toshima City..." Makoto read the sign aloud, holding her backpack straps with her hands as she walked. They walked through a narrow street, vertical signs hanging over every building. They were all dark, but that was to be expected. Goro hung back more, scanning the empty city for any movement. He kept his gun hidden in his baggy pants and Akira's Shujin jacket provided some extra coverage. If they got into any problems, he didn't want anyone taking his weapon. They wouldn't get the chance. Goro stopped once something caught his eye, paralyzing him in his steps. Zombie heads. 

"What the fuck...?" Goro whispered, looking at the rows of heads on stakes. "Hey... we shouldn't stay here any longer than we have to." This area was dangerous. Whoever was living here had a sick fucking head. Ann gasped when she looked over. 

"That's effin' gross."

"Yeah, no kidding," Goro mumbled. He turned away from it, continuing forwards until he saw hospital signs. The movement in one of the alleyways caught his eye, but he didn't stop. They were too fast to be zombies... unless it was some other kind of mutated zombie... but no, Goro couldn't let them know that he knew they were there. He put his hands in his pockets, clutching the switchblade tightly in his left hand. Right-handedness was so common that people tend to forget that left-handedness is a thing. He hung back more, allowing himself to be an easier target. 

When he was a hitman, assassin, whatever, Goro made himself look easy to approach, wide-eyed and naive, but they never knew. It was always too late when one of his targets took the bait. He almost missed it, missed the feeling of going right back to whatever event he was at like there wasn't a body waiting to be found. He couldn't let anything slip. 

"Yo."

The unfamiliar voice from the side almost made Goro laugh. It was loud enough to draw the attention of the others, but Goro stood the closest. He should. He should. No, he can't. Not yet. He needed information before taking out the guy. He was rough-looking, brown hair spiked up and oily, baggy clothes that could have been designer. Stolen, likely. Obviously. It didn't fit properly. "Can we help you?" Goro asked the question pleasantly, offering the detective prince smile that took years to perfect. 

"You guys look tired. We got a pretty nice community over there, got food and heat and stuff." Well, the pitch could be better. If they agreed to go, Goro could gather information and take their supplies. Would the others agree? Well, Makoto was the leader now, wasn't she? Goro looked over to her, finding that her eyes were already on him.

"You're the leader, Niijima," he said, "It's your call." 

He was not oblivious to the suspiciousness of it all, but Makoto may be. It was probably wrong to set her up for failure, but she needed to be bumped down a couple of pegs. Her attitude pissed him off and she didn't deserve a leadership role with her impulsive decision making and recklessness to prove herself. Sae Niijima was definitely her sister. 

"Sure!"

Why was he not surprised?


End file.
